Season of the Witch
by Eralk Fang
Summary: Nearly a century and a half in the lives of Koume and Kotake, Gerudo witches. Chapter Eight: The witches face their immortality.
1. The King is Dead

**Author**: Eralk Fang  
**Fandom**: The Legend of Zelda  
**Rating**: PG-13.  
**Story Summary**: Nearly a century and half in the lives of Koume and Kotake, Gerudo witches.  
**Chapter Summary**: The most inopportune time to give birth is always when babies want to be born.  
**Notes**: I can usually trace ideas back to what inspired me, and Season of the Witch is inspired by the film Prince of Egypt and enough Gregory Maguire novels to choke a horse. This story is set four hundred years before the adult ending of Ocarina of Time, and goes for one hundred and twenty years. This is a multi-chapter work, and I hope you enjoy it.  
**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

_Season of the Witch  
Chapter One: The King is Dead_

_-_

A child is born and doesn't know what day it is.  
"A Newborn Girl at Passover", Nan Cohen

-

Makebdorf was dead, and the funeral procession was just starting to leave the fortress' western gate. It was grand and beautiful- the four women bearing the litter that housed Makebdorf's corpse were dressed in black and white, their bracelets and forehead jewels standing out brightly against the mourning colors.

Most of the Gerudo were in the procession, some crying. An aged woman, Makebdorf's wife, was weeping and screaming. The youngest among them was Thariyah, who was barely ten. She would be the next Sage, and left in the Spirit Temple when the procession finished burying their king. If she survived, she was truly the Sage. She cried too, clinging to the cloth of her mother's pants, because all she could think about was if she did not survive.

Far above them was a black figure in the sky, the silhouette of Tonyahdora, the only Gerudo witch. She was navigating on broom. From the fortress to the Desert Colossus was a treacherous path.

The midwife's assistant sighed and frowned, staring out a window. She was a young girl, but not young enough that she would ever take part in a king's funeral ever again. But nature waits for no one. Rova, one of the best weapons instructor the Gerudo had, was giving birth.

"Stop dreaming, girl!" the midwife barked. She was disappointed as well about the funeral procession, but she had always thrown herself into her work when she was disappointed.

Rova lay in her own bed, a canopy of purples, golds, and whites. She was unconscious, knocked out by a powerful potion. The assistant had turned away while the midwife had delivered the children- Tonyahdora, who unofficially headed the midwives, had been saying Rova would bear twins ever since Rova returned pregnant from the Hylian keep.

The midwife handed one of the twins to the assistant. It was bloody, and squished, and looked more like a rock then a little baby. They set to work.

The midwife and her assistant cleaned off the twins quickly. If one (or both, Din forbid) of them was a Hylian boy, he'd have to be removed, of course, and there was no sense in torturing a good horse in this awful heat... the midwife had her old sword tied to her bag.

"Girl!" the assistant shrilled.

The midwife nodded. "This one's a girl, too."

The assistant was relieved- she was mildly squeamish, a trait odd among Gerudo.

The midwife coaxed a scream out of the one she was holding, and gestured for the assistant to do the same. The assistant nervously did so, and almost screamed herself when the infant let out a piercing wail.

Satisfied, the midwife laid out a linen blanket to place the infants. She examined them carefully, and then let out a mild curse. "They're completely identical."

"No birthmarks or anything?" the assistant peered at the babe closest to her, and then at the other twin.

"Not right now. Let's hope one of them develops something. Fetch me the blankets."

The assistant rummaged through the midwife's formidable bag, retrieving a blue and a red blanket. The twins were wrapped up in the blankets, to which they did not object. "Keep an eye on them," the midwife ordered. The assistant nodded, and turned her attention to the babies' squished little faces. They looked like old men now, cleaned up.

The midwife pulled out a small array of brightly colored potions and a scrap of linen from her bag. Crossing over to the bloodied bed, she pulled the stopper off a brilliant orange potion, and dabbed some on the scrap. This she held to the Rova's nose. After a moment, her eyes fluttered open, and she screamed in pain.

The midwife shushed her as comfortingly as she could, pulled the stopper off of a ruby red potion, and raised it to her lips. Rova drank deeply, and lay back against the pillow, eyes closed. After the potion kicked in, she opened them again.

"You with us, Rova?" the midwife asked. Sometimes, the potion was brewed too strong, and sent those in pain somewhere else before they returned to their senses.

"I'm here." she breathed. "Are they-"

"Female? Both of them are."

Rova sighed in relief. "Bring them to me."

The midwife nodded. She got up and took the red swaddled one, and gestured for her assistant to bring the one in blue. They stood on either side of the bed, and bent low for Rova to see her daughters.

Rova sat up a little, and placed a hand on both her daughters. "Beautiful," she muttered, as if she saw something in the squashed babies that the assistant didn't.

The assistant was not used to reverent silences, avoiding religious services as well as training. "What are you going to name them?"

Rova made a thoughtful noise. She cupped the chin of the girl child in red. "This one will be Koume." She cupped the chin of the girl child in blue. "And this one will be Kotake." She laughed a little, as if the names were amusing, lay her head back, and closed her eyes. After a moment, it was clear she was sleeping.

The midwife took Kotake from the assistant and placed both infants in the wooden cradle next to Rova's bed. It looked out of place in the severe bedroom.

"I'm going to see if I can catch up with the procession. You're staying here and cleaning Rova up." the midwife ordered. The assistant frowned, but knew better than to argue.

The midwife hefted her bag onto her shoulder and left. The assistant crossed the floor to Rova's bed, hesitantly taking in the damage.


	2. Magic

**Author**: Eralk Fang  
**Fandom**: The Legend of Zelda  
**Rating**: PG-13.  
**Story Summary**: Nearly a century and a half in the lives of Koume and Kotake, Gerudo witches.  
**Chapter Summary**: Concerning half-grown girls, broken bones, and magic.  
**Notes**: This chapter refused to be titled, but title it I did.  
**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

_Season of the Witch  
Chapter Two: Magic_

_-_

Oh great intentions / I've got the best of interventions  
"Come On! Feel The Illinoise!", Sufjan Stevens

-

The twins never did develop any distinguishing birthmarks, or anything else to tell them apart. Rova resorted to dressing them in different colors to tell them apart: Koume in faded reds and oranges, and Kotake in faded blues and purples. There would be no other way to tell them apart until they were old enough for forehead jewels; Rova would simply not allow the lapidary to give them the same jewels as some kind of sick joke.

Twins are not a rarity among Gerudos, but Koume and Kotake were the first twins they'd had this generation. They were thirteen, and still looked like little girls- twiggy little things in the white clothes of youth. The previous years of their childhood held little incident- their mother, one of the better swordswomen of the Gerudo, had little tolerance for rule-breaking just to break rules. They both had the brilliant red hair of the Gerudo, cut to somewhere around their shoulders. Their movements seemed to mirror each other, and they were both right-handed. It was a rare thing to see either twin on her own, and it never lasted long.

Rova rested her lance against her shoulder. Lances were her speciality, and she would be instructing one of her larger classes today. Girls entered training when they were big enough, and her daughters were still too small to begin training.

"Now, be good and don't bother anyone." Rova ordered her daughters. The twins nodded in unison. "I'll be back at noon, and then I have more classes."

The girls nodded again. Rova smiled a little, and kissed each of her daughters on their foreheads. She hefted a sturdy bag onto one shoulder, and walked out the door.

There was only one place for inquisitive half-grown girls to go when the women went out to train- the rooms of Tonyahdora.

Tonyahdora was the only Gerudo gifted with magic at the fortress. She had three rooms in the fortress all to herself. The only person with a bigger allotment was the king himself, and there was no king now. It was said she was centuries old.

Tonyahdora let them in, smiling to herself. She was dressed in the Poe cloak that marked a witch. She wore it in such a fashion that it looked like a dress, but the hem of her gold pants was visible where the cloak stopped. Her hair was steel grey, and twisted up into a messy bun. Her forehead jewel was topaz, and she wore a sea of necklaces. Small and elegant lines rested at the outer corners of her eyes.

The twins immediately made for the makeshift couch, scrambling over each other like newborn animals. Tonyahdora gave a rich and melodic laugh. "I won't be very interesting today, girls, I'm off to pick herbs."

"Can we come?" Koume asked.

Tonyahdora shook her head. "I think not. I'm going into the deepest part of the desert. It's no place for you two."

"Oh, come on!" Koume whined.

"Please?" Kotake asked.

"No! There are very strange people who live out there. Your mother will try to have my head on a platter if something happens to you two." For some reason, Tonyahdora gave a small smile, as if Rova threatening her was a joke. "But you two can stay in here as long as you want. I just want everything to be in the same place when I get back. And don't mess with my potions."

Tonyahdora draped a bag for herbs across her torso, and grabbed a broom that didn't look fit for cleaning. "Be good. I'll be back after noon."

The moment Tonyahdora walked out the door, the twins began rummaging through the place. The place was very unorganized, and looked like one of the first rooms that had ever been made in the Fortress. Books seemed to have managed to get themselves in every available space. An unusually simple bed in the corner was sprinkled with heavy tomes, the space between them making a a vague shape of a person. On the west wall was a rack of blades, ranging from a kitchen knife to a lance.

The girls immediately set to finding something interesting. Kotake took the bed, while Koume took the lop-sided bookshelves. The soft sound of rustling books and turning pages was occasionally interrupted by the thump of a book falling to the floor.

The silence they settled into was familiar to them. Any other two people could have easily forgot the other was there, disappearing into one of Tonyahdora's books on spells or ancient tales or water management. However, the twins had always been acutely aware of each other, as if the one was a limb of the other. This had faded into the background of their awareness of reality, like their heartbeats, but it was still there. They had always dismissed it as a twin thing, or, at the very least, a them thing.

The silence lasted a little longer, until Koume spoke.

"Help me up."

Kotake looked up from her book. Koume was staring determinedly at the top of the bookshelf, which she couldn't reach on her own. They were both still child-sized, and their first bleeding had yet to come upon them.

"If it's at the top, Tonyahdora might have a reason for it to be out of the reach of- out of our reach." Kotake wanted to say "out of the reach of children", but Koume was sore about being called a child.

"Oh, you're no help." Koume scowled at Kotake. Kotake rolled her eyes. Koume never meant any of the things she said when she was frustrated.

Kotake went back to her book, which was a tome about certain species of the desert. Tonyahdora had written notes in her cramped handwriting in the margins, correcting the book at some points.

There was a lurching sound, and Koume screeched. Kotake tossed the book to the floor and immediately jumped off the bed. Koume was tumbling off the bookshelf and the bookshelf was not about to let her escape. Kotake dashed at her sister, and managed to shove her out of the way, but Kotake landed on her back, and the bookshelf came crashing down on her leg. Kotake let out a bleat of pain as her leg made a sickening sound.

Koume let out a string of strong curses, and got to her feet. "Are you alright?"

"No!" Kotake screeched, before letting out a moan of pain. "I've probably broken something."

And Tonyahdora wouldn't be back before after noon, and the sun was nowhere near its height. Koume cursed again. She looked around for another door, but found a thick and faded purple curtain. She left her sister and peered beyond the curtain, pulling it aside. She gasped. In the dark of the tiny room were bottles upon bottles of potions. The little light she allowed into the storage area made every bottle gleam their colors at her- brilliant blues and reds, a dim and hazy gold. One gleamed red at her, and she grabbed it. She wasn't an idiot- when anyone was hurt badly, they were usually administered a red potion.

"Drink this." Koume said, kneeling beside her sister. She took the stopper out of the glass bottle.

"She said not to mess with the potions!" Kotake protested.

"Well I don't think she expected this to happen, now did she?" Koume asked.

"What if it's not a healing potion?"

"You're such a baby. You think I can't see red? Here." Koume downed some of the potion herself. It didn't taste of anything at all. Scowling, Kotake took it, and drank deeply from it.

"And now we'll just wait." Koume said, sitting down on the floor next to her sister.

Somewhere in waiting, one pair of eyes closed, and then the other, and the twins drifted off into dreamless sleep.

-

Kotake's eyes fluttered open, and it was dark. She was not on the floor of Tonyahdora's main room, but in the room she shared with Koume. She was in her bed.

Tonyahdora knelt beside her. The door to the main room of Rova's rooms was slightly ajar, the light catching Tonyahdora's jewelry every once in a while. Koume was asleep on her own bed, tossing and turning.

Her leg still hurt, although not as much, and a new pain revealed itself, lodged deep in her abdomen. For a moment, she thought it was the bleeding finally come, but it hurt like an open wound.

Tonyahdora's hands were cold against Kotake's right shin. "This can't be healing by itself..."

Tonyahdora didn't realize Kotake was awake yet. Kotake held her breath, to see what Tonyahdora would do.

Tonyahdora waved a hand over the broken leg, and something righted itself in Kotake's leg. Kotake was so surprised she let out a gasp. Tonyahdora's eyes immediately found hers. "Kotake?"

"Are you fixing it?" Kotake asked. Tonyahdora nodded, and reached up to ruffle Kotake's hair. Tonyahdora's hand was faintly glowing white, and then it turned brighter as it passed over Kotake's chest, right over her heart.

Tonyahdora stopped. "Can it..." She waved a hand over Kotake's heart again, and kept it there. The light steadily grew brighter, until Tonyahdora finally drew it back.

Kotake stared at Tonyahdora. She had no idea if this was a good thing or a bad thing, and Tonyahdora's expression, one of shock, was not helping. Tonyahdora moved away from Kotake, to Koume, and repeated the same process. It had the same effect.

Tonyahdora moved back to Kotake.

"Is something wrong?" Kotake asked. Tonyahdora shook her head, and placed the glowing hand over Kotake's eyes. The little girl fell asleep instantly.

Tonyahdora got up and entered Rova's room, where the mother of the twins was resting on the edge of her bed. Rova sat confidently, but her face looked unsure. "Will they be alright?"

Tonyahdora breathed in and gave a long sigh. "Kotake's leg will heal. But they didn't drink a healing potion." Tonyahdora moved to stand before Rova. She did not sit. "It was a potion to make women barren. It could postpone their growth indefinitely."

"And they're still so small..." Rova wiped her mouth with her fingers. Her eyes were unfocused, a strange sight in a Gerudo woman.

"Rova, they have magic." Tonyahdora said. Rova's eyes snapped to Tonyahdora's, unbelieving. "There are many ways to find out, but magic responds to magic."

One thing must be understood about Gerudo witches. Gerudo do not usually perform magic naturally- that is, without the aid of an enchanted item. Through years of mating with Hylians, some of the magical ability has been inherited by Gerudos, but only a handful of Gerudo present with natural magic.

"I think that may be why they are still small." Tonyahdora continued. "Magic lengthens a Gerudo's life. Why do you think Makebdorf lived to one hundred and three, when Hylian men drop dead at sixty? They are living more slowly then you are, Rova."

"And you?" Rova asked.

"I'm three hundred and four years old, little one." Tonyahdora said. Rova had always known Tonyahdora was impossibly ancient, but to know her exact age was strange. It made Tonyahdora seem like a page of history; here was a woman who had seen three Gerudo kings. "I delivered you, Rova, and your mother. Their magic may be able to combat the potion, but they may still grow much later then the other girls."

Rova nodded.

"Of course, there is the matter of education. They will train with me instead of with you. I'll move them to my rooms when they are old enough."

"What?" Rova hadn't expected that, although she should have. She'd always imagined training her girls just as her mother trained her, and it was being torn from her.

"Rova, they have to come with me. I must train them to use their magic wisely. They will succeed me. What if I die in battle? Do you want them to be trained by Hylian witches?"

That was a low blow. Hylian witches are much different from Gerudo witches- they're usually old spinsters who are decent at potions making, a far cry from the proud and powerful Gerudo witch.

"I understand, Tonyahdora. But they are so young..."

"You mean they are so small. Rova, size does not matter in magic. They can be as powerful as any other witch that has walked the desert, no matter their size. You will be proud of them, Rova." Tonyahdora smiled, and drew herself up to her full height.

Rova cast a glance at the door to her daughters' room, and slowly nodded. "Make them what you will, Tonyahdora."


	3. Into The Mountains

**Author**: Eralk Fang  
**Fandom**: The Legend of Zelda  
**Rating**: PG-13.  
**Story Summary**: Nearly a century and half in the lives of Koume and Kotake, Gerudo witches.  
**Chapter Summary**: The twins spend two weeks in the mountains to train.  
**Notes**: A fairly straight forward chapter, featuring Snowpeak and Death Mountain; The only real challenge was finding where to explain the Poe cloaks- I explain them in the beginning now, but it was originally part of Koume's visit to the mountains instead. I also had to read it out loud before realizing some spectacular errors. ...oops. But all is well now, and it's fit for presentation.  
**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

_Season of the Witch  
Chapter Three: Into The Mountains_

_-_

Living, we cover vast territories;  
imagine your life drawn on a map--  
"First Gestures", Julia Spicher Kasdorf

-

The assignment was simple: spend two weeks in a locale of your choice to further your education in your chosen magical speciality. They were ready for it, Tonyahdora reasoned, and there was no reason they could not do the same thing her own mentor had sent her out to do, many centuries ago.

She had taught them a broad range of magic at first, but as they got older, their magical specialties became obvious. Koume's presented first. In meditation one evening, she concentrated and set the curtain to the potions closet aflame. Kotake's presented one freezing midnight, when the poor girl could not sleep- she was too cold. Rova piled blanket upon blanket on her, and told Koume to start a fire (which she did by herself with glee). Tonyahdora was called for, who couldn't seem to find the problem. Finally, Tonyahdora ran a hand over Kotake's face, and the girl, unable to stop herself, sneezed ice on Tonyahdora's hand.

Tonyahdora's own speciality, buried under extensive potions training, was wind. She had ceased teaching her own speciality to them after they both presented, and the girls began to accumulate the two most important possessions of a Gerudo witch: their brooms and Poe cloaks.

Over the years, the two girls fetched trees that had somehow managed (perhaps by sheer will) to grow in the desert to make their brooms, and learned to fly on them. They killed four Poes in the desert to make their distinctive cloaks out of their remains.

Finally, it was time to send them off to research their specialties. They were fully grown now at twenty, and still scarily identical. They were the same height, and were old enough for forehead jewels- Koume's a ruby, Kotake's a sapphire. It would have been too much if their hair was exactly the same, but it wasn't. Koume had burned off a good deal of her own hair before she knew how to control her speciality, and left it long and free- it reached to the bottom of her shoulder blades. Kotake, on the other hand, kept hers in a long braid all the way down her back. They still dressed in the same colors their mother did when they were young- blues and purples for Kotake, reds and oranges for Koume, all under their Poe cloaks.

A Gerudo Poe cloak is a very valuable item. It is made by killing two Poes and using the remains to make a fabric. This fabric can stretch to twice its size and absorb any enchantment. It can be decorated, but the only color it will take is a dusky orange, and an old Poe cloak will resist decoration; Tonyahdora's had not taken any decoration except the difficult embroidery at the hems for little over a century. A Poe cloak is one of the best uses for a Poe anyone has come up with in all of Hyrulean history.

The twins had decorated their Poe cloaks; they were young and vain. Koume's had a spindle of fire wrapped around each sleeve (they looked like salamanders since they were orange), and a fire symbol between her shoulder blades. Kotake's had mountain details on the sleeves and small specks meant to resemble snow on the back, despite the fact Kotake had never seen snow before.

Tonyahdora felt they were well prepared for a little journey after their initial years of teaching. They were both provided with a map and enough food to last them the trip. They were not to travel to the same area- where could one study fire and ice at the same time? It would be the first time the twins would be separated for a long period of time.

Rova, Tonyahdora, Talinidora (their leader), and the rest of the community saw them off. They took off and flew together over the Fortress, but separated over the gorge. Two tiny dots, indistinguishable from each other.

-

Koume had selected an active volcano in the east for her study. Koume could feel the heat of the volcano on her face as she made a wobbly landing a quarter of the way down from the top. She snatched at her broom- it was heavier then usual, due to her luggage. She'd walk the rest of the way up the mountain- whoever or whatever lived up there was not going to see her as some amateur witch who couldn't even fly properly!

An hour later, she reconsidered that idea. She settled on a large rock and removed some rocks from her left shoe. She let her thoughts briefly flicker to Kotake- had she ended up in the lake over the mountains to the north of the fortress?- when, someone, very politely, said something.

"Excuse me!" a gravelly voice said. Koume stared around, searching for the source of the voice.

"Where are you?"

"You're sitting on me."

Koume immediately jumped off the rock, grabbing her broom. The rock stood up. It was the strangest creature she'd ever seen. It was vaguely man-shaped, but wider, and instead of hair, had a crop of smaller and white rocks running across its forehead and down its back. She gaped. It gaped back. It had never seen a Gerudo in its life.

"What _are_ you?" they both said.

"You don't look like the people who live at the base of the mountain..." the rock thing said. "Or the plains people." It made a flapping motion where its' ears should have been with its hands, to make the point. It was obviously referring to Hylians.

"I don't come from the plains or the mountain base. I'm from the desert across the plains. I'm a Gerudo." The rock thing nodded. "But what are you?"

"I am a Goron. My name is Coren." He smiled, showing two rows of small, white, and rocky teeth. "What is your name, Gerudo?"

"My name is Koume."

Coren nodded again. He looked very amiable and earnest, but she couldn't concentrate on his stony face.

"So, you're made out of rock?" she blurted out.

Coren smiled. "Through and through!" He thumped his chest, which was covered in intricate off-white markings. "I have a question for you, Koume the Gerudo: what brings you out of the desert and onto our mountain?"

"I'm here to study fire magic inside your mountain."

Coren gave a rich, rumbly laugh. "You know there is a reason we call it Death Mountain!"

Koume only nodded, chastened by his laughter, so Coren continued. "Well, if you want to do so, you'll have to speak with our patriarch. Our home is a little ways up the mountain... I can travel it quickly, but with you..." Coren rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Don't worry. I can fly." Koume brandished her broom. It was not a very impressive broom, but sometimes the ugliest broom works better then the prettiest.

"Really?"

Koume placed the broom at hip's height in the air, and arranged herself on it, her feet barely brushing the ground. Coren gaped mildly. He'd never seen anyone do that before.

"Just go, and I'll follow."

Coren nodded, and rolled himself into a ball. He then took off, speeding towards the mountain top. Koume followed as best she could.

-

He led her to the entrance, a good deal away from the top of the mountain, where she managed to make a decent dismount. Broom in hand, she walked into what would later be known as Goron City.

It seemed as if the Gorons had carved it out of the mountain itself. Other Gorons were milling about, a parade of Death Mountain stone. Koume followed Coren.

At the bottom of the conical city was the floor that led to the patriarch's room. Coren went ahead, pushing the great stone door aside. Koume took in the city, nodding at the Gorons who glanced at her with interest.

"He's ready." Coren gestured for her to enter.

The room was small, but the Goron within it was not. He was at least twice the size of Coren, and his markings seemed to tell a tale of a dragon. He was flanked by two torches, both unlit.

"I am Orus, patriarch of the Gorons." He lumbered to his feet.

Koume made a slight bow. "I am Koume, a witch of the Gerudo." _No use mincing words_, she thought, _might as well impress them_.

"Ah, a potions-maker." Orus said.

Koume made a slight face to the comparison- Orus had used a word used for Hylian witches. "I do a lot more than that." Koume waved a hand at the torches, and prayed they would both ignite; only the one on the left did, but it made the intended impression. Orus laughed.

"Then you are very different from Hylian witches!"

There was a sudden crying sound from the ground. Orus turned away, blocking whatever he was doing with his massive bulk. He turned around, and in his arms was a little rock baby, crying softly.

She briefly wondered on earth the Gorons reproduced. If they truly were, as Coren had said, rock through and through... she killed that line of thought before it went any further.

"Is that your child?" she inquired. Orus nodded. He made a silly face for the small Goron, who finally shut up and laughed.

"His name is Liggs. Now, tell me, why have you come here?"

"I am here to study fire magic in your mountain."

Orus rubbed his chin thoughtfully with his free hand. "We certainly will let you, but are how far are you planning on going in our mountain?"

"Well, it's an active volcano so... as close to lava as possible."

Orus and Coren looked surprised.

"Well, she could study at the crater entrance..." Coren offered.

"What kind of protection do you have against fire, young one? I'm sure you know the heat means death to those who are not Goron..."

Koume smiled. She began pulling and tugging at her Poe cloak, fastening it and fixing it. When she was done, only her eyes were exposed.

"I have put a protection enchantment on my cloak that will keep me safe from extreme heat." Although her mouth was covered, her voice was not muffled.

"What about your eyes?" Coren blurted out. "And hands?"

"The enchantment carries over any openings. See?" Koume stuck her hand in the flames of the lit torch to demonstrate the curious effect. The flames danced around her hand.

Orus nodded. "I see. Coren, is there a free room for our guest?"

Coren nodded. "If you don't mind terribly, Liggs still sleeps with you, so she could have his room..."

"Yes, that will do splendidly. Coren will take you up to the carter in the morning. Right now, he'll lead you to your room."

The room was simple and newly carved- Coren located a makeshift cot for her. She thanked him, and was then left alone. It was a strange new feeling, to sleep alone, with Kotake's steady breathing nowhere near her.

-

Kotake trundled through the snow, her broom and luggage affixed to her back. She was snug in her cloak, bundled tightly, but her footwear left something to be desired. She didn't notice, though- it was snowing.

This was the first time Kotake had ever seen snow. She had known she wanted to come to the white mountain beyond the desert, but it had been a shock to see the stuff all over. Nights in the desert brought freezing and dry winds- nights on this mountain brought freezing but wet winds, and the difference was something she was marveling at.

She'd been traveling for hours, and was trying to find a cave for the night. The search was going miserably. The falling snow was blocking her view of where she was. She reached out her hand, and touched stone.

Kotake followed this natural wall, occasionally digging a hand in to see if there was an opening somewhere. Finally, this paid off. The snow covering the opening crumbled, and Kotake darted in.

It was a huge cave- Kotake whispered a simple illumination spell, and the light didn't reach the back wall. But it did reveal the remains of a fire, and Kotake set about to lighting it.

The remains were very flammable, and Kotake sighed at the heat. She settled on the stone, and closed her eyes.

A broken dialect barely recognizable as Hylian reached her ears.

"Yetuel leave fire on _again_?"

Something lumbered into the cave. When it reached the firelight, Kotake could see it for what it was.

It had two completely black eyes, on a face of fine and soft pale fur. The rest was covered up by coarse white furs that stood up next to the thing's actual fur. The window of actual thing mirrored the window of face exposed by Kotake's cloak. The thing lumbered forth, and then stopped when it saw Kotake.

For a moment, they merely stared at each other.

"...you very strange looking yeti." the thing said.

"Excuse me, I had no idea this was your cave-" Kotake began.

"No! No! My cave your cave." The thing said. It settled down slowly across the fire from Kotake, showing a prominent bump under its furs in the process.

"My name is Kotake."

"I am Yetaline." answered the thing. _Well_, Kotake thought, _if it ends with aline, it might be female_.

"If you don't mind me asking, what are you?" Kotake winced- what if this Yetaline ate people? And got easily offended?

"Yeti. If you ask, you know not yetis so... what you?" Yetaline looked actually interested.

"I am a Gerudo. I come from across mountains. There's a desert there."

The word desert meant nothing to Yetaline.

"Very hot." Kotake waved a hand over the flames. "Hot place."

Yetaline nodded. "Hot must be nice. Why you here, then?"

"To study ice. Very cold. I'm a witch."

Yetaline brightened up. "A witch thing! You help with-" Yetaline said something Kotake didn't understand, and rubbed her prominent belly. Kotake immediately understood- Yetaline was big with child.

Technically, Kotake wasn't a midwife (Yetaline used a word that meant either witch or midwife), but she had a rough idea of what to do, and disappointing this yeti seemed like a very bad idea, so Kotake smiled and nodded.

A shadow fell over the fire, and Kotake and Yetaline looked to the entrance. Another yeti looked in, looking much more animal-like then Yetaline. Yetaline made a chirp of delight and gestured it in.

Kotake guessed this must be the male of the species. He hunkered down next to Yetaline. "Yetuel, I found witch thing! She help me."

"Ah! Very welcome then." Yetuel grinned broadly at Kotake. His teeth were yellow, but there was something sweet in his expression.

Kotake smiled in return. At least she had a place to stay.

-

The two weeks flew by for both of them, although they missed each other terribly. There was none of Koume's hot temper in the yetis. And the Gorons were too earnest to have any semblance of Kotake's sarcastic wit.

Their progress mirrored each other, although Kotake's took longer, due to her more cautious nature.

Koume found that, deep in meditation in the hottest heat of the crater, she could focus the heat. As if to make up for the fact very few Gerudo can practice magic, the Gerudo are gifted with great stores of sheer focus, useful in war, life, and magic, if they have that gift. Raising a hand, she concentrated on the hand and then... a sharp blast of fire came out of her, spiraling into a rock with a crash.

She suddenly felt freezing, and threw back her hood. For a scant few seconds, the heat felt actually enjoyable. Suddenly, though, it began to choke her, and she put her hood back on. She smiled under it, feeling secretive, powerful, and very snug.

On the snowy mountain, Kotake found that she could focus the cold as well. She was perched on an out of the way ledge that she reached by broom. It was no longer snowing, and she could see the snow covered mountain better. It was beautiful, in a stark way. White Wolfos, the beasts the yeti hunted and devoured, fought far below her.

Concentrating cold and loneliness within her, she raised a hand over the ledge. Mentally, she paused for a moment, nothing but a feeling of growth within it, and then it exploded out of her hand- a stream of freezing ice, far colder then the snow she was in. It hit one of the Wolfos below, and he was immediately encased in ice. His opponent pawed at it.

Kotake was amazed at this, but suddenly felt as if she was burning up. She took off her hood, and the wind screamed through her hair. Soon, it felt painful, and she put her hood back on. She felt warm and safe in her cloak, a bit of desert in this unfamiliar snow.

The two weeks were nearly up. Tonyahdora would be greatly impressed with their progress.

One morning (after she'd grown tired of consuming reekfish Yetuel kept bringing home and her own tough bits of boar meat) Kotake sent out a signal for Koume. It was the first thing Tonyahdora taught them, so they could find each other, no matter what else. Viewed through the correct lens, magic marks a person. Trying to use it to find a Hylian in a sea of other Hylians is useless, but a lone Gerudo in a deserted area of the world...

-

Koume had said her good-byes to the Gorons. They had grown fond of each other, and Koume promised to return. But Kotake was calling now.

Koume soared over the clouds covering the plains of the Hylians. It had been raining forever on it, it seemed- she'd flown over clouds on her way there. Koume pondered rain, wet from the sky. It sounded wonderful.

The signal was growing stronger. Over smaller, impassable mountains, Koume saw the great snowy peak. It had always seemed so far away as a child. She switched the fire protection enchantment to a warming one, and flew into a gentle snow.

The mountain grew closer, and the signal grew stronger. Koume flew close the ground now, her pointed shoes skirting the snow. Finally, she found it- a small-mouthed cave. She dismounted, affixed her broom and baggage to her back, and entered.

The sheer size of the cave would have impressed Koume, but there was something more pressing at the moment. Kotake was crouched in front of a great white furred beast.

"Kotake?" Koume called. The beast looked at her with beautiful black eyes.

"Another witch thing..." it mumbled.

"Koume!" Kotake looked up. She was wearing her cloak as a jacket now, and sweat glued strands of hair to her forehead. "We don't have much time. This is Yetaline, I've stayed here the whole time, and she's giving birth. Don't just stand there, help!"

Yetaline had gone into labor shortly after Kotake sent out her signal, as if to force her guest to pay for her shelter and food.

Koume tore off her cloak and baggage, throwing them on the floor of the cave. She joined Kotake's side, and they began to work.

It took them a few hours, partly due to yeti nature and partly due to their own lack of expertise. Yetaline passed out, with the help of a herb she'd told Kotake to get, but sometimes she came to, and either one of them tended to it. But finally, a bloodied yeti child was produced. Kotake wiped it clean with the pelt of a Wolfos, and Koume made water from snow to wash it in and wash up the mess with.

The yeti child resembled nothing more then a ball of fur with closed eyes. Kotake placed it in Yetaline's hands, and placed the mountain herb to wake her up under her nose. Yetaline came to after a moment or so.

"Oh, he pretty!" Yetaline breathed. "If it was boy, Yetuel want to name him Yetan."

Yetaline cooed, and then fell asleep. Kotake petted her head in an affectionate manner, the sweat on her face glinting as she smiled an earnest(Goron-like, Koume thought) smile.

Kotake suited up in her cloak, and Koume followed suit. They exited the cave. Koume didn't know how she could have missed the hulking beast in the snow, but she had.

Kotake reached up with one hand and touched the beast. "Thank you, witch thing," it said.

"You're welcome, Yetuel. I will come back."

Yetuel nodded, and gave Kotake a light hug. Koume nodded at him, and Yetuel laughed.

"There are two of you, witch thing?"

"This is my sister, Koume. We are twins. Same but different." Kotake said as an explanation. Yetuel nodded, but he didn't stop smiling.

They would return to their respective mountains annually in the years to come, but in each other's presence they felt homesick for the fortress. The two witches mounted their brooms and took off for home. They longed for the smell of sand.

-

It was sunset when they arrived back at the fortress, and it was strangely silent. The candles were burning in the meeting room, the largest room of the fortress complex. They retreated into their rooms and washed up, and then went to the meeting room.

It seemed like every Gerudo was in the room. Koume and Kotake tried to enter quietly, but every head swiveled to them as they walked in. Tonyahdora and Talinidora were standing at the front, holding an infant.

No such measures would be taken for a girl child, unless she was deformed and therefore doomed to being a scholar, or unless...

They thought it at the some moment, and made their way to the front. Talinidora took the infant from Tonyahdora and held it out. Reverently, the twins touched the child's forehead.

Talinidora watched them impassively. "His name," she said, "is Altodorf."

They knelt before their king.


	4. Blasphemers and Thieves

**Author**: Eralk Fang  
**Fandom**: The Legend of Zelda  
**Rating**: PG-13.  
**Story Summary**: Nearly a century and a half in the lives of Koume and Kotake, Gerudo witches.  
**Chapter Summary**: An attack on the fortress.  
**Notes**: Thank you for all your kind reviews! To clear things up, we're currently three centuries before the adult ending of Ocarina of Time, and Altodorf and Ganondorf are separated by at least two other kings.  
**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

_Season of the Witch  
Chapter Four: Blasphemers and Thieves_

-

If you had a part of me, will you take your time?  
"For the Widows in Paradise, For the Fatherless in Ypsilanti", Sufjan Stevens

-

Altodorf had grown, as twenty years can do. He had been schooled in all the things a Gerudo King should know- warfare, magic, and spirituality. His battle armor had been made a few short weeks ago, when his mother decreed it could be. The woman who gave birth to the Gerudo King enjoyed power as well, and she was known as the Motherking. She did not enjoy as much power as the second-in-command, Talinidora, did, but enough power to sate her.

He was tall and lithe, like a healthy Gerudo. The traditional jewelry glinted brightly in the sun, laid on his bare collarbone. His forehead jewel, in an ornate setting, was spessartine, an orange garnet. He kept his red hair long and tied at the nape of his neck. There was a quiet and not quite fully developed power to him.

And he was a student of the witches. His lessons were rotated every three days- on the second day, he came to the rooms of the witches. The three of them had instructed him in magic ever since he could talk.

As a game when he was young, they had promised him four necklaces when he mastered each element- wind, fire, ice (traditionally water, but there was no one to teach him that), and earth. He had earned the earth, wind, and fire necklaces quickly enough, but ice still managed to elude him, and his magical education was now almost entirely focused on mastering that art. He wore the necklaces with pride, though- simple pendants of differing colors. Kotake had taken to wearing the ice necklace they had made for him, just to tease him.

The four of them were standing on a rampart of the fortress, the desert stretching out for miles and miles under their eyes. This was really the only safe place to practice different kinds of magic without leaving the fortress- Kotake had killed a Wolfos with her first blast of ice, and Altodorf had uprooted a leever nest with his first blast of earth magic, killing them all. There was really no place in the desert to train him in this particular art, and they had not figured out a way to take him to the snow peaked mountain yet. The ability to fly eluded most Gerudo males, and the witches' brooms violently disagreed with taking more weight than a full-grown woman; it had been like that since Altodorf was small.

Kotake stood to Altodorf's left. "Now concentrate." she said. "Any cold feeling you have, concentrate it into your hand..."

Altodorf's eyes were closed, his face turned upwards to the sky. "Feel it?" Kotake asked.

"I think so." he answered.

"Release it."

Altodorf stretched out his hand as far it could stretch, and then clenched it. Nothing had happened. Again.

"We could try it at night. Perhaps that would help." Tonyahdora suggested.

Kotake nodded, turning her back on the desert.

It as they had done every day Altodorf was with them. Altodorf, not really listening to the conversation, turned to fiddle with the clasp of the ice necklace, his fingers scraping the nape of Kotake's neck. She ignored it.

A warning bell rang out, disturbing the peace with its staccato bellows.

There is a system to the warning bells. There are three in total. The first signals who is coming. The second signals why they are coming- more specifically, do they come in peace or hostility. The third signals the direction.

They listened.

_People_ said the first bell.

_Hostile_ said the second bell.

_From the west _said the third bell.

They turned to look into the west, into the depths of the desert.

A swarm of people swathed from head to toe in white and red were riding towards the fortress, some on horses, most on foot. There was malice in their movement. The younger magicians had never seen them before.

"Zuna." Tonyahdora breathed. The word meant nothing to her three companions.

"Altodorf, get dressed for battle." Tonyahdora pulled him to her side, and fairly pushed him down the steps. He glanced back at her, his yellow eyes questioning, but he obeyed. The three witches immediately made for their shared chambers.

"Who are they?" Koume asked.

"Why are they attacking?" Kotake asked.

Tonyahdora spoke rapidly, throwing broom and cloak at her students. "They are Zuna, from the deepest desert. They live on the only fertile soil in the desert, and have refused to trade with us since I was a child. I have been stealing from them since then- they have the only herbs in the desert, and the plains don't have all the herbs. I don't know any more than that. Come."

The moment they set foot outside, they took flight. The rest of the Gerudo had stationed themselves all along the western gate, weapons drawn. Altodorf was standing in the middle, looking anxious but determined. They arranged themselves over the warriors.

The Zuna drew nearer and nearer, and then they came, like a sandstorm.

The ones on horseback had bows, Koume found out, ducking low to attack. She narrowly avoided an arrow. The ones on foot were armed with swords and magic.

They had been trained to not show surprise, and they did not show theirs, though it was great. Gold light, barely discernible in the desert sun, surrounded their blades and when the light was brightest, it formed into a black shape, almost like a letter of writing, and went forth. One splattered on a Gerudo's neck. She immediately fell, clawing at her throat- it was choking her. However, as the battle grew fiercer, these sword hexes grew rarer. They took more concentration then the witches' spells. The witches' magic came from their cores.

They managed to force the Gerudo back, and the battle spread to the open area in the middle of the fortress. The witches separated. Winds blew the Zuna back, fire plagued them from the right, and ice froze them on the left. Those that bore through the fire, wind, and ice were met with the business end of a Gerudo scimitar.

One Zuna descended upon a Gerudo, leaping on her back and stabbing her below the nape of her neck. Altodorf pulled him bodily off the corpse and kicked him to the side. He raised his massive sword. The Zuna seemed motivated by more then mere theft.

A wind from Tonyahdora ripped off the man's face coverings, revealing a pale green man, similar to Altodorf himself save for the skin. Altodorf paused, and the Zuna saw this-

Rova, having fought to Altodorf's side, shoved one of his arm down, sending the sword directly between the man's ribs. It was Altodorf's first kill. He took a breath (and maybe he murmured a prayer), then turned and began to fight in earnest.

Finally, there were more dead Zuna then live Zuna. Fire and ice plagued them from above, and the women on the ground were driven by their fallen comrades.

After the last one died, screaming as a blade went through his heart, they took a moment to recover collectively. Rova grabbed a few other women and began to cart the Zuna bodies outside the fortress, where they would be burnt. The Gerudo bodies would be buried with care.

Koume and Kotake landed next to Altodorf, as he took in the casualties. They almost started to look the same when they saw her.

"Tonyahdora!" Koume screeched.

Tonyahdora was lying in the sand, her broom several feet away from her. Two arrows had pierced her chest, and her belly was split open. Koume hurtled at her, kneeling next to her.

She was undeniably dead. The Zuna had got their revenge. In battle, a Gerudo knew she could fall at any time. Death, while a solemn affair, is not a regretful one to the Gerudo. But there was still things to be taught, and she was dead and gone.

Kotake kneeled next to her sister, and hugged her. A heavy thump sounded behind them, and Altodorf's strong arms encircled them. The King and the witches wept as children losing a mother.

The sound of the sand scraping against the fortress almost made them jump, and they looked up, one after another.

Thariyah, the Sage, was walking among the dead.

None of Tonyahdora's mourners had ever seen her. She was a reclusive Sage, as most were. From her time in the dark of the Spirit Temple, she was paler then the Gerudo of the fortress. She did not wear her ceremonial garb, but she was dressed differently, more like a Hylian woman. Her shirt covered everything, and a jewel matching her garnet forehead jewel was embedded in the shirt, between her collar bones. Her clothes were all shades of orange, her Sagely tabard brown. Her hair was free and wild. The red hair was streaked with grey, like a dying fire. And her eyes were different- instead of pale yellow like the burning sun, her eyes were dark brown, like the fertile earth of the plains. There was depth to them. Everything about her seemed intentional and controlled.

She reviewed the dead like a gravedigger, which was one of her duties as Sage. Her face was cold and impassive, like the statues of the temple. Until she saw Tonyahdora's corpse.

A dirge-like moan spilled from Thariyah's mouth. She moved to the mourners' side, and knelt before the head of the corpse. This she raised and put on her lap, her dirge continuing. It had no words, but came from deep in her belly, the place where grief settles.

Altodorf spoke first. "Sage Thariyah."

The dirge stopped, and Thariyah looked Altodorf in the eyes. She seemed somehow bigger then him, despite being on her knees and three quarters his size. "King Altodorf." She gave a swift bow of the head, before returning her attention to Tonyahdora's corpse.

"You knew Tonyahdora."

"I loved her as much as you did." Thariyah said. For a moment, it seemed she would claim Tonyahdora's forehead jewel, as loved ones often did, but she did not speak any further.

Altodorf's brows knitted. "But you were in the Spirit Temple, and she-"

"It does not concern you how I came to love her, King." Thariyah unsettled Altodorf- she displayed neither reverence or motherly love towards him. She was beyond him.

Thariyah stroked Tonyahdora's hair. What she did not say was how Tonyahdora was the only one who visited her as a child and helped her in the Temple, how Tonyahdora taught her history, how Tonyahdora saw her as a scared child instead of a prodigal Sage.

"Oh, know this, students of Tonyahdora. She shall be buried as a queen among witches." Thariyah moved to pick the corpse up, out of the heat that would soon render it something unfit for burial. The same thing was happening to the other Gerudo corpses, but not the Zuna, their hasty pyre already crackling in the sun.

Thariyah stood up. Tonyahdora looked even more dead against the lively oranges of Thariyah's garb.

"Who will take her jewel?" Altodorf asked.

"I will bury it with her, unless you object." Thariyah said, but none of them reached out to claim it. It suddenly seemed an essential part of their teacher, their mentor, their Tonyahdora. They shook their heads.

-

All the Gerudo dead would be buried at once, in the care of Thariyah. Altodorf and Talinidora had already retreated into the deeper recesses of the fortress with Thariyah, to discuss many things.

But Koume and Kotake had a duty set before them- protect the interrogator. They had found a half-dead Zuna among the dead Zuna, and locked him up. He had been taken care of half-heartedly for the last few days, and he was finally better enough to speak. However, they didn't know the extent of Zuna magic, and the interrogator wanted protection.

Koume and Kotake flanked the interrogator as they stood before the cell. The Zuna man, most of his clothing in tatters, was pale green and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. He had contracted some illness or another from the dirty cell. He was chained up.

"Wake up." the interrogator barked. The Zuna glared at her, his eyes fiery. They darted to Koume and Kotake, who glared back at him. Grief had settled in their bellies, and anger was beginning to take their hearts. Combined with Koume's hot temper, the anger was fierce; but combined with Kotake's cool demeanor, it was terrifying.

"Why did your people attack our fortress?" the interrogator asked. The Zuna maneuvered himself closer to the bars, ending up in a twisted position, like an animal in a trap. He spat in her face.

She wiped it off, her mouth set in stone. "You are in no position to refuse to answer me. Why did you attack our fortress?"

"Thieves!" he screeched. "Blasphemers!"

Kotake and Koume had informed the interrogator about Tonyahdora's crop theft, but blasphemy?

"Blasphemers?" the interrogator asked.

"You kill our dead! Your magicians wear our dead!" the Zuna, delirious from his illness, howled.

Kotake and Koume, the anger making them of one mind, whipped off their cloaks, dangled them in front of the bars. The Zuna believed Poes were their dead. The Zuna screeched as if in pain, and pulled away from them.

"You blasphemy against the queens of heaven!" he cried. "May they desert you in your hour of need!"

"Where do your people live?" the interrogator asked. The Zuna seemed incapable of hexing her, but Kotake and Koume were being very useful.

"I will not tell you!"

"If you tell us, we will return you unharmed to whatever family you have." The Zuna scoffed at the word "unharmed"- there was a barely healed gash across his belly, turning an ugly color. "If you do not, we will kill you."

The Zuna's face remained angry.

"And we will kill you again, and make the fabric from your remains, and make you a death shroud for our dead. We have already burned yours." Kotake said quietly, her anger simmering below the surface. Much as one can feel the heat from boiling water, one could feel the anger from Kotake.

The Zuna groaned at this blasphemy. "The pyramid in the deepest deserts, you'll find it easily..."

The three Gerudo left him to curse everything but the goddesses.

-

The business of burial was done. The trip to the Desert Colossus and Spirit Temple had been made. Thariyah had watched them leave, and vanished back into her world of darkness, sculptures, and goddesses.

The trip across the Haunted Wasteland was easy for Gerudo accustomed to it, but the trip across the vast desert that lay beyond the Haunted Wasteland would be difficult. But anger and vengeance spurred them on.

Horses would not be used on this trip, save Altodorf's. They had mostly Hylian horses, and only a handful of truly Gerudo horses- immensely strong and sturdy black horses. Altodorf would ride his favored mare, Anaida. Hylian horses would not last the journey. The only thing they could use were the desert boars.

The desert boars are multipurpose animals, useful for riding and useful as cattle. Boars were saddled up all across the fortress. Half the Gerudo would stay behind, in case another wave of Zuna were coming.

Finally, the small force was ready. The Zuna captive was taken out of his cell. His illness had gotten worse- he was now completely delirious. In his mind, he relived a nightmare from his youth, full of women thieves and blood. He would walk the entire journey.

Koume and Kotake would navigate. Only one of them was needed, but they would not leave each other's side as their anger grew into rage.

Each Gerudo was given enough water from the great well to last them the trip there and back, as estimated by Koume and Kotake. The great well, which lay in a room to the left of the main meeting hall, was their main source of water. The river water to the east was not suitable for drinking.

The journey took a few days, through the sandstorms of the Haunted Wasteland. A few Poes attacked, and they were promptly killed off. The Zuna groaned at the blasphemy surrounding him.

One morning, when they thought they couldn't go any further northwest, and that the Zuna had lied to them, the desert made a steep incline. This would be known as the Lower Desert. Spots of water and sparse foliage marked it.

From there, they could see the pyramid. Most of the Gerudo had been expecting a grand manmade pyramid, but it was a natural rock formation, with steps carved into it. At its base, there were the small shapes of a crude settlement- tents arranged around a spot of water.

Kicking their mounts in the ribs, the Gerudo sped towards it. Koume and Kotake flew as fast as the others rode, like vultures preparing to watch a kill.

They reached the settlement as evening began to fall. They surrounded the settlement, and Altodorf, flanked by Koume and Kotake, rode to their meager oasis. The water was murky, and reflected back a poor image of the three Gerudo.

"Zuna!" Altodorf bellowed. His rage had been growing silently during the journey, and now it tore out of him. Koume and Kotake glowered silently at the Zuna scattered around the small establishment. Their pale green faces, hidden by their clothing, nevertheless registered shock when they saw Koume and Kotake. They had set out to kill the blasphemer thief and her people, and now they were surrounded by her people and two more of the blasphemer thieves.

"You have waged war against the Gerudo. And we have slaughtered your men."

A great cry rose up. Altodorf gestured for the captive. A Gerudo brought him, fairly dragging him by his chains. After removing them, she tossed him into the shallow oasis. The water splattered against his pale green shoulders. A woman immediately came forward and dragged him out of the oasis. She knelt in the sand and laid his head on her lap.

"Where are the others?" another woman cried.

"Dead." Altodorf said.

"We burnt their corpses." Koume said. Kotake kept silent, her eyes fierce and cold.

Another great cry rose up.

"You have attacked us. You've refused to trade with us since Gerudo first met Zuna. For this, you will pay. You will abandon your settlement and pyramid, and leave. We shall claim this place for the Gerudo Nation."

A Zuna man, too young to have gone on the mission, came forward. "And why should we obey you, blasphemer?"

He drew his arms back, his hands blazing with the faint golden light of Zuna magic. He stepped forward, malice in his face, and then, immediately, he was encased in ice.

Kotake lowered her hand. The massive block of ice held for a moment, but the desert sun was stronger. The ice melted quickly, leaving the Zuna's bloated corpse in a massive puddle at Altodorf's feet. The water glinted in the sun for a brief moment.

"You will obey us, because it is only by our will that any of you survive." Kotake said.

The Zuna knew to argue would be death.


	5. Back Into The Mountains

**Author**: Eralk Fang  
**Fandom**: The Legend of Zelda  
**Rating**: PG-13.  
**Story Summary**: Nearly a century and a half in the lives of Koume and Kotake, Gerudo witches.  
**Chapter Summary**: Kotake devises a way to bring King Altodorf to the snowy mountain; Koume revisits Death Mountain.  
**Notes**: I hope you enjoyed the last chapter- the victory was meant to be ambiguous (both sides thought they were doing the right thing). This chapter is a little happier, but only a little. Mwahah.  
**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

_Season of the Witch  
Chapter Five: Back Into The Mountains_

-

A quiet step, a careful shutting of the door so your sleep is not disturbed,  
and two words written on the gate as I leave, "Good night," to let you know I  
thought of you.  
"Good Night", Wilhelm Müller

-

Thariyah was now making infrequent appearances at the fortress. She did not seem to know how she crossed the Haunted Wasteland, nor did she seem to care that she did not know. A Sage's power is their own natural power, divinely multiplied. A Hylian Sage can perform great feats of magic in minutes that would take lesser sorcerers weeks. As a Gerudo is gifted with stores of intense focus, Thariyah merely had to will something, and it would come about.

After the capture of the pyramid, the Gerudo now had a source of herbs and fruit all their own. Previously rare potions, such as the barrenness potion, had only been rare due to the lengths Tonyahdora had to go through to get them. Fruits with tough skins but sweet centers were now plentiful. And the Zuna had disappeared into the the farthest reaches of the Lower Desert. Koume and Kotake would never see a Zuna again, as long as they lived.

"Girls?" Rova rested her head against the doorway to her daughters' chambers. The sisters smiled at their mother; Koume bent over a cauldron, Kotake reading. Rova was now old, but still strong and beautiful. Her hair had turned silver, her face even livelier.

It was their joke; in truth, the twins were forty years of age, too old to be considered girls. But they still looked like maidens, or young warriors.

"Yes, mother?"

"Thariyah is here. Altodorf wishes for you to visit with her."

The King's wish was law. Koume ceased her stirring, and muttered a staying spell over the foul smelling mixture. Kotake bounded up from the bed, her face eager.

The twins attempted to take their mother's arms, but Rova refused. "There are only two groups who need to worry about that. Me now, and the goddesses soon."

"Mother!" Koume said, disturbed. "You're not old enough for that."

Rova grinned. "Oh, you have no sense of time or age, witchchild."

Rova delivered them to the meeting room with no incidence, and left to teach her afternoon class on lances.

Thariyah scarcely afforded them a glance of her earthy eyes as they entered. They settled next to Altodorf, who nodded at them. The younger Gerudo sat across the table from the Sage.

"I have one more thing, King Altodorf."

"Really, Thariyah, I think the temple will be fine without some extra statues or-"

"It's a gift, not a request." Thariyah grumbled. She was growing grouchy as she got older. She produced a pair of boots from a worn satchel, and placed them on the table.

They were small boots, with strips of metal attached to them. They looked entirely unremarkable.

"What are these?" Altodorf asked.

"A gift from the Spirit Temple. You can walk on air with them. It's an interesting creation." Thariyah said.

Altodorf gestured for Koume and Kotake to inspect them. They did so, taking a boot each. For a moment, all was silent, their minds working swiftly.

Koume cast a small detection spell, her right hand glowing slightly. The metal glowed when she touched it, but not the musty leather.

Kotake looked up. "The enchantment is in the metal, Thariyah. If we attach it to Altodorf's boots..."

"You are welcome to try. I do not think they can be destroyed. It is very old magic."

Kotake gestured for Altodorf's boots. They were heavy things, to keep him anchored to the ground. They thumped heavily on the great stone table of the meeting room. Kotake placed the smaller boot next to Altodorf's, while Koume became engrossed in prying the enchanted metal from the smaller boot she held.

Altodorf began to tell Thariyah what had happened in her absence. It was all things Koume and Kotake knew already, and the two tuned their King out as they focused on the boots.

Under a pitch-black sky, the wind came, freezing as it always was in the night. Smart Gerudo were bundled under layers of blankets, fires blazing in their rooms. This was the wind that killed, the same wind that came in the day, blazingly hot. If you were killed by it, perhaps you should have been.

Altodorf was buried under layers of blankets and boar skins. The lone window in the royal chamber was shut, with a curtain also made of boar skin covering it.

Someone was knocking at the window. Altodorf jerked awake, his instincts kicking in. Pulling the topmost blanket around his shoulders, he made his way to the window. It was cold.

"Altodorf?"

It was one of the twins, and just under the surface of his heart, he hoped it was Kotake.

"Get dressed, I need to speak to you."

Definitely Kotake- Koume would not have cared whether he was dressed or not. After all, the twins had seen him as a babe in arms.

He dressed himself for cold weather, and opened the curtain and the window. It was Kotake, her sapphire forehead jewel dim in the moonlight. Her Poe cloak was fixed in a form that covered up her body but left her face surrounding by a hood. Hovering on her broom, she looked like some Hylian witch, although Altodorf would never say that to her face.

Koume was nowhere to be seen, and it startled Altodorf a little, to see one without the other. He suddenly realized he had never seen them apart.

Kotake's face trembled a little before splitting into a wide, honest grin. She tossed a bundle into his room. "Put them on. We're going."

Altodorf would have expected this from Koume, not Kotake. But he was not one to complain. Opening the bundle, he found the pair of boots he'd left with the sisters, the enchanted metal attached. Also inside was a coarse pelt of off-white fur. He quickly put on the boots, and wrapped himself in the pelt- it was a little too small, but extremely warm.

"I'll meet you downstairs," he began to say, but Kotake shook her head violently.

"No. Climb out the window. Try out the boots." Her grin became even huger, her back molars showing; one of them was striped with brown, a mark of a poor water supply. "I'll catch you if you fall." Kotake crossed her wrists and rested them against the top part of her broom, looking like a Keaton out of a book of fairy tales.

Altodorf climbed onto the windowsill, and stared out at the desert beyond Kotake's shoulders. It was vast and vaguely threatening, even to the ones who had lived in it their entire lives. Where was she taking him?

Kotake's pale eyes were waiting. Altodorf hesitantly stepped a foot out into air. Impossibly, the boots found purchase, as if they had such a strong memory of the ground they could imagine it. "Oh, perfect," she breathed. She gestured for him to join her on the broom. Altodorf stepped lightly over it, and mounted the broom as he would a horse. The broom did not acknowledge his weight. Suddenly, it made sense. The boots made you weightless.

"Where are we going?" Altodorf whispered in Kotake's ear.

"To the snowy mountain. You're going to learn how to use ice magic, even if it kills me."

"Now?"

"When else?"

"To disappear in the middle of the night-"

"Sounds irresponsible? Koume knows where I'm taking you. She'll tell the Motherking and Talinidora. Don't you worry."

Altodorf was going to finish, _sounds exciting_, but he did not.

-

Koume figured it was time for her holiday in the mountains anyway. She took off to her favored mountain shortly after informing Talinidora and the Motherking, and kissing her mother goodbye.

The Gorons had seen her every year since she first arrived there, and had even taken to calling her "Brother Koume". The Gorons did not seem to care much for gender, even among the races with obvious differences.

Orus had grown old, and out of his position of Patriarch. He was now Gor Orus, a respected Elder.

"Koume!" a voice called. Koume had barely moved two feet into Goron City. A Goron was stomping his way up to her.

"Liggs!" she cried happily, throwing her arms around the Goron. Liggs had grown up, as twenty years will do. He was wide and strong, like a proper Goron, and the rock hair was a curtain of sheet rock, ground up to his shoulders. He was not, and perhaps would never, be big enough to be patriarch.

Liggs happily led her down to the Patriarch's chamber. Coren's broad face smiled at Koume as she entered. Coren had become Patriarch several years ago. Patriarchs were chosen by size, and Coren now looked like a miniature mountain. Something like a beard of rocks protruded from his chin. He lumbered to his feet, and the Gerudo and the Goron bowed to each other.

-

The yetis had multiplied in the years since Kotake's first visit. Yetaline had been a very young yeti when Kotake first met her. Now she was a formidable matriarch, who always backed up her few threats with her mate's sheer size. However peaceful life on the unreachable mountain was, yetis knew a powerful leader was a good leader. The yetis had moved into a loosely organized cave system near Yetaline's cave.

Altodorf tried to drink everything in with his eyes- the snow, the dim and cloudy sky, and the trundling mass that was Yetuel. They landed ungracefully- the closer the boots got to the ground, the weaker they got. Kotake's broom ejected both of them violently, and they spilled into a pile of snow. Yetuel guffawed at this.

Kotake got to her feet first. Altodorf's heavy boots made him sink into the snow slightly. Kotake did not have this problem- she was wearing a pair of Hylian boots, a strange sight under a Poe cloak and with the billowing Gerudo pants tucked into them. But she treaded lightly on the snow, and reached out her arms to hug the male yeti. Yetuel picked her up, and she fairly disappeared in his thick fur.

"What did the witch thing bring?" The yetis' Hylian had improved somewhat, with Kotake's help.

Kotake tugged sharply on Altodorf's furs, bringing him to his feet immediately. "This is Altodorf, the King of the desert."

Altodorf did not feel much like a King- all his jewelry was in his bedchamber, and he was wearing musky furs. Yetuel gave a good-natured grin. "Welcome, desert king! Witch very good friend of us. Help mate with child."

Yetuel led them to Yetaline's cave, leading them through the closest thing the recently minted yeti community had to a square. Yeti children, small and covered in protective fur, were at play. A few of them were tossing snow at each other; another pair was mock fighting.

Yetaline had grown larger, and engulfed both Altodorf and Kotake in a massive hug. Kotake explained why she and Altodorf had come. She pulled the ice necklace from under her cloak, which now covered everything but her eyes. Yetaline's eyes sharply followed the shining jewel, almost involuntarily. But Kotake hid the necklace again, and Yetaline beamed.

Kotake and Altodorf were set up in a small, abandoned cave, instead of in Yetaline's cave. Yetaline was a prolific mother, and the youngest lived with her and Yetuel. The eldest had caves of their own.

The children were used to Kotake, and did not treat Altodorf any differently. Altodorf wondered why out loud. Kotake straightened up, holding one of the smallest yeti children that could be allowed to play with the others. Bizarrely, she looked like a statue of one of Farore's incarnations- Farore the Mother, holding a child of indeterminate race.

"You smell like me." The yeti squirmed, and Kotake loosened her arms. It leaped out, making a pitiful attempt at snarling at another yeti child. "The furs have my scent and yeti scent- they used to be Yetaline's when she was my size. It's useful. The Wolfos won't bother you. Yetis hunt them and I've killed a few."

Altodorf immediately became fonder of the musky furs.

-

Koume's loud cackle rang out. Liggs grinned broadly back at her. The two were sitting at the top of the pathway that lead all the way down to the village at the base of the mountain. Liggs was munching on a large rock streaked with pale minerals. Koume was waiting for her noon meal. She had not thought to bring any food (how silly and impulsive!) and she had struck a deal with the people in the village.

She had thought they were all Hylians at first, but the leader had firmly told her most of the villagers were, in fact, Sheikah. Koume had come across them in her readings, although Kotake would remember exactly what had been said. They called themselves the shadows of the Hylians. _How sly_, Koume had thought. _They defer to the Hylians who think themselves the divinely chosen, but then put themselves above all the rest with their connection with them! Sly indeed._

No matter what these long ears said, she'd made a deal anyways, despite the Gerudo's growing reputation for thievery. The heads of the two children who brought her her meal came into view, and soon all of them.

It was a girl and her younger brother. The girl met eyes with Koume, red to yellow. Koume smiled at them and inclined her head. The girl dropped the bundle of food in Koume's lap. She turned away, and pulled on her brother, but the boy didn't move. Koume took no notice, digging into a leg of cucco more like a dog than someone civilized.

"Are you really a witch?" the boy asked.

Koume nodded, removing her teeth from the bird flesh. "Of course I am. But I am not a witch like your witches! No! I breathe fire!" Koume stuck out her tongue, and mimicked a dragon. The boy was young enough to giggle at that, but the girl thought she was too old to laugh at such childish things.

"Really?" the girl said, attempting to look aloof.

She failed in that attempt; Liggs snorted slightly, although Koume smacked his stone shoulder with an open palm. Koume placed a hand on his shoulder and got to her feet. She gestured the cucco leg like a sword. "Fetch me a tektite!" she bellowed. She was in a playful mood. The boy, entranced, ran down the path before his sister could argue.

He returned with a tektite leaping after him. Koume gestured for him to get out of the way. She thought about burnt legs and tektite screeches, and the thing promptly combusted, burning quickly. Liggs clapped. Koume dropped her now charred cucco leg. She made a face at the charred remains of it.

The boy was impressed, and Koume made a lavish bow. Gorons took everything in stride; it felt so good to impress.

Of course, she paid for it. The only person in the village adept at fire magic was ill, and advised not to use his powers until fully recovered. With her meals now came a bag of items requiring her magical attention. Koume would disappear into the crater and do her work, leaving Liggs behind.

-

The sun shone brightly on the snow. Altodorf and Kotake had been training since Kotake had woken him up. It had not gone well, and they were trundling further up the mountain, in an attempt to get colder.

"Maybe I just can't do this. Like you can't do fire magic." Altodorf suggested. Kotake glared over her shoulder. She was more used to cold than any other Gerudo, as frost was fairly part of her, but she wasn't prancing in Hylian boots and lugging around the boots from the temple up a mountain for nothing.

"According to Tonyahdora, Makebdorf could do all kinds of magic, and she could only do wind magic. Kings are special, Altodorf." Kotake stopped. "Just try one more time, and we'll fly back."

Altodorf grumbled, but agreed. They stopped on an overhang that overlooked the base of the mountain. They were high up enough to catch a glimpse of the river that lay beyond the mountain.

"Think of cold. Think of ice." Kotake began, the words so familiar she was almost chanting them. "Think of hollow spaces. Think of loneliness." Altodorf reached out his hand half-heartedly, and then Kotake backed away from him, cold air rushing over his ear. It jolted him a little, and a sound familiar to Kotake rang out- the cracking of ice arching from a hand.

He'd done it. He suddenly felt too warm, but before he could take off the furs, Kotake did it herself. She was grinning hugely, her hands tightening in the thick pelt of the furs. For a moment, the freezing air felt wonderful, whipping the heat away from him. But too soon it became unbearable, and Kotake threw the furs around his shoulders. She reached inside her cloak, took out the ice necklace, and threw it around his neck.

She did not let go of the necklace, and her breath, while warm, was cooler than his. A small lock of her red hair was plastered next to her right eyebrow.

It was an impulsive question. "Kotake, do you love me?"

Kotake gave a thin smile. He suddenly realized how much older she was, no matter how young she looked. "You are my King, Altodorf. Everyone loves their king."

It was not what he meant, and she knew it. Whatever impulse that had seized Altodorf had passed, or perhaps the wind had whipped it away, taking it for heat.

"Our work here is done. I'll contact Koume and we will return home." Kotake turned away and began to walk, becoming a black shadow in the brilliant snowy noon.

-

The first signal didn't work, as Koume was in the thick of Kakariko Village, returning her work herself. The whole mountain base felt like one massive magical beast, and it was impossible to find just one person with natural magic. The second one did work, as Koume was deep in Death Mountain Crater. Almost relieved at being released from her work, Koume bid good-bye to the Gorons, and they bid good-bye to their Brother Koume.

They met up over the stony mountains that separated the lake the Hylians had claimed (although the Zora didn't really pay attention to that claim) and the desert. All three together, they quietly flew home, the ends of the women's Poe cloaks, now worn as jackets, flapping in the wind.

When they touched down, Talinidora almost tore out of her rooms. It was almost sundown. Talinidora made a rushed bow to Altodorf, before grabbing the twins' hands.

Her face twisted into something apologetic. "Your mother is dead."

Kotake looked stunned, but she was stoic, as always. Koume trembled for a moment, before letting out a dirge-like scream. Talinidora released their hands, and stepped back- she would not be a part of the witches' initial mourning, when the world seemed to dissolve in the face of it.

Koume fell against Kotake, and they fell to the ground, crying softly. Altodorf had no idea what to do. The small sadness in his heart for losing a good warrior and good woman was nothing compared to the sadness of the two in the sand, Koume screeching from time to time and Kotake stroking her sister's hair. He joined Talinidora in merely looking on.

Finally, the worst of it subsided. The death in itself was not a tragedy. Rova was an old warrior. She faced her death with almost contentment. It was the loss, and the absence of her daughters at her deathbed that had hit them hardest.

"Rise." Thariyah ordered. The twins looked up to see Thariyah's brown eyes staring back down, her face impassive, although touched with sympathy. She was wearing her massive ceremonial jacket over her normal garb. Koume swallowed a sob, and Kotake wiped her face with the back of her hand. The two rose.

"We waited for you to come back before burying her." Thariyah said, matter of fact.

"What did she say?" Koume suddenly asked. Her face looked raw. The twins had not let go of each other. Kotake thought Koume could not stand on her own for the moment, and she was afraid if she let go of her sister, she would not be able to stand either.

Thariyah did not smile, but her expression warmed up slightly. Almost mechanically, she repeated Rova's last words. "Tell my daughters that no matter how long they live, I will love them."

"Was she not angry we were not here?" Kotake asked.

"When we asked her if we should call for you, she said no. She said she would go alone into the arms of the goddesses. Perhaps she was waiting for you to leave so she could die; maybe she thought you would try and bring her back with all manners of spells and potions."

Deep within them, they knew they would have tried; and how tortuous that would have been for a woman prepared to face death. This sobered them up. Kotake let go of Koume, and they found they could stand now. They linked arms.

"Show us the body." Kotake said, and Thariyah nodded. As they moved, their marks in the sand were different. Thariyah's jacket brushed the sand along, like a painter making a mark. Kotake and Koume's were sharp little steps. It gave the impression of the twins walking along a preset path, set out by someone divine.


	6. The Witchwife

**Author**: Eralk Fang  
**Fandom**: The Legend of Zelda  
**Rating**: PG-13.  
**Story Summary**: Nearly a century and a half in the lives of Koume and Kotake, Gerudo witches.  
**Chapter Summary**: Thariyah has a vision; a wedding occurs.  
**Notes**: Ah, a genuinely happy chapter. No death or anything! The first half I really enjoyed writing; Koume is a blast to write. The second half took some fine-tuning. Oh man, this fic seems to be just breezing by. I need to work on the last two chapters. Well, enjoy.  
**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

_Season of the Witch  
Chapter Six: The Witchwife_

-

I will go stay with her who waits for me  
"A Woman Waits for Me", Walt Whitman

-

Thariyah had not shown up at the fortress for some time now, and the twins took it upon themselves to check on the Sage. Altodorf came along. Now that there was a way for him to fly, he always joined them on their flights. They could not refuse; he was their King, but that wasn't why. They actually enjoyed each other's company. Kotake and Altodorf enjoyed each other's presence immensely, and Koume, while utterly fond of both of them, just wished they would stop being so sickeningly coy with each other.

They arrived at the temple before sundown. Koume lit the lantern, and the three of them entered the Spirit Temple. They walked up the few steps, continually calling Thariyah's name.

Turning right, they continued through the temple. The temple beasts were not sacred beasts, but rather minor annoyances. Killing the bigger beasts became irritating as they continued on.

Suddenly, they came to a huge room in the Temple. Dominating the room was a massive statue of an incarnation of Din. It was from a much earlier age of Gerudo history, for it was not the traditional Gerudo incarnation, Din the Desert Walker in her helm and the divine snake wrapped around her. This statue was merely clothed in a brass brassiere with two golden stars, perhaps referring to her sisters. This reference was furthered by the massive ruby, as big as Altodorf, nestled between her breasts. The outstretched left hand bore the Triforce, and the other... the other bore Thariyah, in full regalia.

The Sage was curled up in the palm of the goddess, arms crossed over her knees. Her bare feet peeked out from under the dusky orange sleeves covering them. Her hair was silver. She looked small compared to Din.

"Thariyah!" the twins shouted. Koume immediately mounted her broom and flew up to the Sage. Thariyah did not answer, her thin mouth turned down. Kotake appeared, hovering on the other side of the hand. Altodorf was let alone, staring up at the three women.

Thariyah gasped for breath, and her head fell back. She had not eaten in days. A sudden terror had come over her, that the goddesses could not hear her prayers, a terror as sharp and sickly as the ones she had when she first came to the Temple. In the thick of it, she'd done all she could to garner herself a vision, even visiting the Zuna pyramid to find a specific herb that forced visions. And the vision was upon her now.

Koume and Kotake stepped onto the platform, crowding Thariyah's form. Koume tossed her broom next to Kotake's, where the two hovered, parallel to each other. Together, they picked her up, and then moved onto the brooms. For a moment, they flew, but the added weight was a little too much for the brooms. Thariyah dragged them down to the floor, at the feet of the goddess. Her belly grumbled loudly.

Kotake guessed it first. The witches fixed their brooms to their backs, and gestured for Altodorf to pick up the Sage. Thariyah was not light, despite her current starved state, and awkward to carry- she was a bony frame in heavy clothing.

They made it out of the Spirit Temple without any temple beasts attacking them. Altodorf lay Thariyah against the left wall of the entrance, where she convulsed. Kotake stayed at the Sage's side, while Koume whipped off her shoes. Holding her Poe cloak like some curtseying princess, she stepped out into the sand. A pack of leevers immediately rose from the sand, their vicious jaws clacking. Koume roasted the lot of them, and snatched up a corpse. She'd meant to cook it, but that heat wouldn't have killed them. Koume couldn't really control her fire beyond destructive purposes.

Dancing back to Thariyah's side, Koume ripped the leever in two gruesomely, and handed Kotake one half. The sisters shredded the leever with their clever fingers, and made two small and messy piles.

Koume forced open Thariyah's mouth, and placed some scraps of leever in her mouth. Koume tilted the Sage's face up, and Kotake rubbed two fingers on her throat, forcing her to swallow.

As if the leever flesh had somehow devoured the herb, Thariyah's eyes focused, and she let out a long breath, almost a hiss. She stared blankly at the witches in front of her, and the dim shape of Altodorf watching her.

Suddenly, Thariyah screeched, and launched herself at the nearest twin, Kotake. Koume, moved almost by instinct (but what instinct would compel you to protect your sibling?), leapt at the Sage. Thariyah kept choking them, her freezing, pale hands closing around their necks. They stumbled and fell forward, into the sand.

Altodorf watched, suddenly aware all three of the women were stronger than he was- they were fighting like beasts over a meal, and despite their lack of military training due to their gifts, they were poised to obliterate each other. There were little flashes of ice and fire, but Thariyah was willing them snuffed, although she was too hazy to will harm towards the twins.

Thariyah made one last grab at Koume's throat, clenching down her dirty thumb in the soft spot between her collarbones. Koume gave a garbled sound that made Altodorf feel as if he was going to vomit involuntarily. Kotake tore at the Sage's wrist, clawing.

Thariyah was starved and hazy; she could not concentrate and will anything on Tonyahdora's students. She was no match for two witches in the prime of their unnaturally long lives.

Finally, Thariyah went limp. Koume frowned grotesquely, rubbing her throat. Kotake bent over the limp figure in the sand. Had they killed her by some accident of magic?

Thariyah took a gasping breath. The herb had worn off, washed out as sweat in the dying moments of the light. She knew where she was, and she remembered the vision.

She pushed herself up on her elbows, one bony shoulder pressing against the ceremonial robes, like a tent pole. "A beast." she whispered reverently.

"What did you see?" Kotake asked immediately. Koume sat back on her heels, still rubbing her throat. Altodorf, seeing the fight was over, came to her side, kneeling at her feet.

"I saw the Triforce. A beast. A boar. A massive boar, with magnificent horns. He leapt out of the Din's triangle. He ran across the desert, and then the desert became the plains..." Thariyah was lost in memory. Her terror was immediately nullified. The goddesses heard her, and still loved her, and sent her visions, for she was the chosen of the Gerudo to be a Sage, and none other. She looked strangely reverent, a statue of a child at worship.

"What else did you see?" Kotake asked, but the comparison to a statue vanished. Thariyah's face turned sour.

"Perhaps I would have seen more if you had not tried to take me out of my vision!" she growled, but without menace behind it. She was not in the mood for company if they weren't going to be impressed by her visions.

Thariyah slowly began to move to her feet, and no one helped her. The other three stood up quickly.

Koume ceased massaging her throat. "So the goddesses sent you a vision of a savior of boars?" She did not take kindly to being choked.

Thariyah merely scowled at Koume. "I am alive. Is that not what you came for, witches?"

Somehow regal, despite her garb now covered in sand, she began to step towards the graveyard. She would consult with the only Poe the Gerudo allowed to live. He was allowed to live in exchange for watching over the graveyard, gathering information from other Poes, and, most importantly, not warning them that Gerudo witches hunted Poes.

Koume, hungry for some argument, stomped after the Sage. Koume would call out something insulting about the vision and the state of Sagehood in general, and Thariyah would either call back something equally insulting about witches. Their tempers had peaked during the fight, and both of them were trying to recall that, but it was too late. Besides, arguing let out built-up steam. A good argument was as healing as a good potion.

Kotake sighed, and began to walk half-heartedly after them. Altodorf followed her until he finally worked up the nerve. They were at the few steps leading up to the Temple.

"Kotake?" Altodorf grabbed her upper arm, and she turned around. The sounds of the argument were fading, but another voice came in- the wispy, eerie voice of a Poe, defending his lone and irregular companion good-humoredly. Kotake had last heard a voice like that before she killed the Poes she was now wearing. It didn't startle her, but disturbed her. Her guard fell.

Altodorf's eyes were searching her face. Kotake slowly lowered herself on the steps, Altodorf lowering himself as well. They ended up with Altodorf half kneeling, staring up into her face. He gently touched their forehead jewels, a sign of intimacy among Gerudo. "Why don't you love me? And I don't mean as your King, as your student. I mean as your heart."

Kotake was too spent to feign disinterest. She touched her right hand to his cheek, a soft touch. She gave a shaky sigh, to clear her head.

The sun gave one last dying gasp, and the enveloping night sky and stars finally pushed it beyond the horizon. Kotake tilted her head up at the rapidly brightening stars. Despite being less than inches apart, she spoke as if from a distance.

"My heart?" Kotake laughed softly, a distinctly sad sound. "I will bear you no daughters. When I am silver-haired, you will be dust. Would you, Altodorf, be so cruel as to give me that heartbreak?"

She looked down at his face, her fingers pressing cold parallel marks into his cheek. She felt strangely impassionate, like a blizzard at its end.

Altodorf spoke precisely. "If there should only be one person in all the world whose heart would shatter when I die..." He turned to kiss Kotake's right palm. "I would have it be you."

Suddenly, the impassionate feeling passed, and Kotake was suddenly aware of the stark beauty of the desert, and its effect on those borne of it. A smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. The inevitable end was what had kept her from claiming him; it had been so easy to turn away from those brilliant, beautiful eyes and think of his death. Now, though, her heart felt so full she could forget it.

"How morbid you are," she murmured.

"You brought it up," he murmured back.

In the shadow of the Temple, they kissed.

And almost immediately, the argument in the back of the Temple ceased, all parties, Poe and Gerudo alike, having run out of steam.

-

Weddings, in the Hylian sense, are a rare thing in the desert. Gerudo women almost never marry. If a Gerudo woman wishes to join with a Hylian, she may marry him. However, such unions are entirely Hylian affairs. There is no Gerudo ceremony for such a union.

However, the ceremony for a Gerudo King's wedding was elaborately detailed, in the minds of the eldest Gerudo women and in books dealing with Kings. The religious authority in any wedding found in what would centuries later be Hyrule was a Sage.

They waited a month. They did not wait out of any sense of needing to space out the half-proposal and the wedding. It was partly to gather things needed for the ceremony (their annual trip to the Hylian settlement fell in that month), and to let Thariyah recuperate and prepare the temple.

Indeed, preparations were completed with efficiency, as the day of the wedding came. Kotake was sat down and fussed over by a group headed by her sister, in a display of vanity. Her braid was undone, and they marveled at the effect. Kotake had been braiding her hair for thirty years, and loose, it gave the effect of waves, a soft but stark contrast to the straight hair of every other Gerudo. They would quickly disappear.

Koume, suddenly feeling the need to make her sister similar again (even such a small and worthless difference between them made her feel uneasy), gathered all of Kotake's hair in her hands. With a knife, she hacked away at the bottom. The result was the choppy, brush-like end Gerudo women wore.

Kotake was dressed in her bridal clothes. A sand beige ensemble was found, the hem of the pants brushing against her ankle, the top sparse, like any Gerudo top. A helm of green cloth, to represent Farore and courage, was draped over her head. Her hair spilled out the bottom, like a river running red. A necklace of the divine snake, to represent Nayru and wisdom, made of some strange blue metal (they traded silver to the Zora for it), was fastened around her neck. Din needed no representation- it was under her statue's eyes that the King and the witch would be wed.

Koume took on Kotake's Poe cloak, throwing it around her sister's shoulders and pulling in strategic places. Finally, Koume stood back. The Poe cloak looked trim and elegant, resembling the coat of a stylish Hylian than anything else. Koume had somehow given it a short collar, and the sleeves were close to Kotake's arms, instead of billowing, as they normally did. The hem of the cloak fell around Kotake's knees.

Her decoration complete, Kotake was escorted out to where the procession to the Temple was gathering. The procession swelled by each moment, until, finally, they were waiting for Altodorf.

Altodorf emerged from the King's chambers. Kotake's lips parted, her jaw dropping open slightly. He was dressed in a similar fashion to her- the beige clothing, the necklace of the divine snake, but instead of a helm, he wore boar horns, expertly attached to his forehead by the lapidary. They were magnificent, and stained green. As he approached her, she saw that the horns were carved with minute scenes of married life. The one thing missing was children, perhaps as some sort of deference to Kotake's barrenness.

They could not touch until they arrived at the Temple, but they smiled at each other instead, feeling like children. The procession began to move.

-

Thariyah looked remarkably clean and elegant, a stark contrast from a month ago. She was in her full Sage regalia, wearing the Spirit Medallion, the symbol of her power as a Sage, around her neck. Her hands were steepled at her hips, the long jacket balanced on her shoulders. The jacket had decorative sleeves, with small banners attached to their hems. Thariyah never wore them as sleeves.

She stepped forward to Kotake and Altodorf. They stood face to face, hand in hand. If you looked at them from the right angle, you could make a Triforce. The statue of Din served as her own triangle, Kotake served as Nayru's, and Altodorf served as Farore's. But Thariyah entered in the space between, ruining it.

Thariyah intoned a prayer, addressing each of the golden goddesses in turn. After each address, the couple was handed an item, which they handed to Thariyah. These were symbolic. For Din, an engraved sword. For Nayru, a scroll containing a prayer. For Farore, a shield polished to a mirror-like finish. The couple handed the item to Thariyah, who managed to make tossing it into the Spirit Temple look graceful. Thariyah's life in the dark had given her a taste for ceremony, it seemed.

The addresses and the sacrificing of the items were done. Thariyah placed one hand on Kotake's shoulder, and one on Altodorf's.

"It is known to the heavens that you are forever entwined." she intoned. She moved away, and that was the signal.

They kissed happily and fiercely, and the congregation cheered wildly, Koume the loudest.

-

It was late at night when Koume missed her sister. She was settled into bed, in the cocoon of blankets to keep the frozen night off her.

She stared up at Rova's forehead jewel, which had been mounted above the potions room after their mother had died. The wind suddenly rattled at the window, the window rattling open just enough to allow a shaft of moonlight to make the amethyst glow for just one instant.

It was too quiet. Kotake's steady breathing was gone, her heartbeat too. Koume had not realized that she would miss it that much. She'd heard it every night since the day she was born. It was like finding her own heartbeat missing.

But what was she going to do? Burst into the King's chamber and demand her sister back? Interrupt them on their wedding night? No, better to adjust.

Kotake was feeling the same thing, but it was buried under several other feelings- relief, love, drowsiness. Altodorf's heartbeat and breath were soothing. He was half-asleep and his hand moved sluggishly against her belly.

Earlier that day, after the ceremony, the lapidary had inserted small pieces of each other's forehead jewel into the other. Within Kotake's sapphire was a speck of spessartine, and a speck of sapphire within Altodorf's spessartine.

The wedding horns had been fused together by the lapidary as well, and mounted above the bed. The engraved scenes were too small to see from where she lay. Their hair, brilliant and red, had tangled on the pillow, almost impossible to tell apart. Already her hair was straightening.

She turned her head back to kiss the side of Altodorf's mouth, and then dropped her cheek against the shared pillow, a massive puff of light brown. Her eyes, bright and yellow, creased shut.

The freezing wind screamed through the fortress.


	7. False Sages

**Author**: Eralk Fang  
**Fandom**: The Legend of Zelda  
**Rating**: PG-13.  
**Story Summary**: Nearly a century and a half in the lives of Koume and Kotake, Gerudo witches.  
**Chapter Summary**: The creation of Twinrova.  
**Notes**: Ah, how Twinrova came to be. The second half went though many rewrites; the nursery rhyme mentioned in the second half was actually written out, but I had to take it out since it was way too light for this chapter. And there's an attempt at a decent action sequence; remember to tell me if it sucks!  
**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

_Season of the Witch  
Chapter Seven: False Sages_

-

We were once there  
holding lightning bolts  
above the heads of sleeping snakes.  
"Blankets of Bark", Sherwin Bitsu

-

Years had passed since Thariyah had wedded Altodorf and Kotake. Married life did not seem to effect Kotake any, other than doting on her beloved and spending less time with her twin. Altodorf, however, had grown more cautious, his wife rubbing off on him, or perhaps it was his mother's death.

It didn't help that the Hylians now felt like they could order from the desert whatever they wished. The trade agreements had gradually become a slow dance, but Altodorf met the Hylian King step for step, promising more metal than jewels for the next trading trip.

This was of no concern to the witches. Thariyah, who at least showed her face once every two months, had pulled a disappearing act once again. This time, they feared she was dead. Thariyah was well into her seventies, and she was frailer than normal Gerudo.

One morning, Kotake left her husband to his decisions and took off with her sister. It felt good to be alone with Koume once again. As they were at the beginning, before Altodorf was born, when Tonyahdora was alive, when Thariyah was a mystical figure in the depths of the Spirit Temple, not a tangible and grouchy old woman.

The Poe was nowhere to be found. There was enough curses and charms on the blasted thing that he could not betray them if he tried, and so they did not worry. To be truthful, he was deep in the Haunted Wasteland, and they had flown right above him on their route to the Temple.

They affixed their brooms to their backs, and made their way to the inner statue. Some Sages were said to have died in the statue's arms, feeling their ends coming.

Thariyah was not in the lap of the statue, or anywhere else in the room. Koume grumbled. That left every other room in the Temple. Searching would take forever.

Each inch of the Temple was scoured. Kotake even went outside to check that Thariyah had not buried herself, in some bizarre trance. She had not.

Massive suits of armor dotted the Temple, the armor of the greatest warriors the desert had ever seen. Their heavy axes were affixed to their backs, almost like the witches' brooms. The witches passed these every so often. Occasionally, they triggered mild debates on orientation.

Finally, they came to one they hadn't seen before. Kotake darted past it (they had resorted to brooms half way through the search), and was almost cut apart by its axe.

The twins immediately came back to back. The old suit of armor shuddered to life, rust on rust and metal on metal. It swung the axe again, savagely. It was animated by something distinctly not magic, Gerudo or otherwise. It was animated by will.

Koume threw a rage of fire at it, but it swung the axe at the right time and the flame was thrown back, not at Koume, but at Kotake. It caught Kotake only by an inch, but the effect would have been the same had it caught her full on. Besides the normal pain of burning, there was something else, as if something essential in her was melting quickly, turning to water in hands desperately trying to piece it back together.

Kotake let out an unearthly shriek, and let out a flash of ice. The suit of armor swung again, and this flash of ice hit Koume. Besides the normal pain of freezing, there was something else, as if something essential in her was freezing quickly, turning solid in hands desperately trying to prying it back apart.

They moved and dodged around the suit of armor, not attacking it. They were confusing it. The heartless feeling of their own magic being used against each other was being buried under fury.

Suddenly, they cackled loudly, short bursts of animal-like laughter. The sound reverberated in the suit of armor, and served their purpose of confusion further. They began to take turns swooping low to the ground. On Kotake's fourth swipe, the suit of armor slammed down its axe. The axe embedded itself in the stone floor. Kotake would admire the handiwork of such a axe much later, after she was home and safe, wrapped in Altodorf's arms.

Koume hurtled herself at the suit of armor, throwing flame upon flame into the space between its helmet and body. Whatever will was animating it was now being thoroughly roasted. The suit of armor bucked wildly, desperately trying to remove its axe from the stone. Finally, it gave up that goal, and began swiping at the twins with its massive gauntlets. It lunged at Koume.

Kotake took advantage of its focus and began tossing icicles down the space. Fire magic and ice magic was mixing dangerously, extreme temperatures mixing within the suit of armor.

The twins flew high up, and began flying circles around it, just out of range. The suit of armor began swiping furiously, and then swiped at Koume just a little too far- something within it snapped, and the chest plate popped out of place. Soon, the rest of the armor followed, popping away so violently they had to dodge the pieces.

All that was left was fire magic and ice magic swirling angrily around a point. As the witches gathered themselves, the point promptly exploded.

"Well." Kotake said.

The queasy heartless feeling was passing, and they linked arms to help it on its way. They passed through the door the suit of armor was guarding, and immediately realized why it had been guarded.

In the center of this room was a massive six-sided pillar made of some thick, semitransparent crystal. In the ceiling was a crack where grains of sand fell down periodically and light came through. Inside that giant pillar was curled an equally massive snake; its head was the size of three full-grown men.

For a moment, it looked like Nayru's gift, the divine snake, with glittering blue scales. It was merely a trick of the sparse light. It was disappointingly green. It had room to maneuver within the pillar, and turned its head at them. Its eyes were yellow.

Kotake began the intricate hand movement over her throat that would allow her to speak to this massive snake in his own tongue, but the snake spoke first.

"Ah! You are the witch." He spoke in perfectly fluent Old Gerudo. Old Gerudo as a language had fallen out generations before Koume and Kotake were born, as the lingua franca of Hylian had dominated the world. Old Gerudo flavors the particular dialect of Hylian the Gerudo speak, and many Gerudo learn it as a second language, their natural tongue being the desert dialect of Hylian. Koume and Kotake were not great students of it.

"Snake! You see carcass?" Kotake asked in halting Old Gerudo. Carcass wasn't the best word, but it was all she could remember.

The snake bowed its head gracefully, and unwound. In the middle of the spiral his brilliant body made, Thariyah rested. She looked uncharacteristically peaceful, and they knew she was dead.

Both of the twins made the sign of the triad, touching their foreheads and shoulders.

"How she die?" Kotake asked. She spoke Old Gerudo a little better than her sister, but was by no means fluent.

In stark contrast, the snake spoke Old Gerudo impeccably. "She simply died, Twinrova. She came in my pillar to talk- she said it kept her mind sharp. She fell asleep, and then she died."

Twinrova is a contraction only possible in Old Gerudo, meaning twins of Rova. How had he known their mother's name? Thariyah must have told him. Thariyah. The snake was so matter of fact about her death it almost disturbed the twins.

The snake gestured for them to come closer, with a wave of his tail. They obeyed.

As they got closer, the snake made a disgusted sound. "You are two?"

"Yes." Kotake said. She bowed slightly, and Koume after her.

"You should be one." the snake muttered a few things after that, but in his native, hissing tongue. "Take the corpse."

"How?" Koume asked.

"How do you think she got in? I am the only one this pillar holds."

The twins nodded, and approached the pillar. Kotake hesitantly put a hand to the glass. It went though, like puncturing a dream. The snake maneuvered Thariyah's body close to the glassy barrier. They pulled Thariyah's body though, which felt like pulling the corpse from the wrong side of a spider web.

Kotake took the corpse from Koume, and carried it to the door. She laid the corpse against the wall. It was so strange, Thariyah without her animating fire, or had that been spite?

Kotake came back to Koume's side. "Thank you." Koume said. "Anything we do?"

The snake laughed. "You can get me out of this pillar. It's sage-made and witch-made. That will suffice for your thanks, witches."

The twins immediately hesitated; had Thariyah and Tonyahdora sealed away this smooth snake for good reason? The snake seemed to read their minds.

"It was a long time ago; I was a small thing, I wandered in here by chance! Why do you have your lovely lady draped in a snake if she does not want snakes in here? Release me, and I swear you shall never see tongue nor tail of me again."

Kotake inclined her head to Koume's ear. "Thariyah must have grown fond of him, all alone in here. She's dead. Releasing him will do us no harm; if he attacks, we can easily kill him."

Koume nodded. "We release you." she informed the snake.

They drew close to the pillar again, separating and taking opposite sides. They placed their hands in the pillar, and their foreheads against it. Their foreheads sank in slightly, their forehead jewels seemingly embedded in the murky crystal.

Concentrating, they found the pillar standing only because of decaying magic. Tonyahdora had been strong enough when she had made her contribution for it to last years beyond her death. It was almost a shame to destroy it.

Destroying it proved easy. They turned their palms up and hummed the first few bars of a nursery rhyme. Any song would have worked; it was just to confuse the imprisoning magic.

The hum grew louder as it echoed around the innards of the pillar, and the snake found the sound soothing. He closed his eyes.

Suddenly, the humming stopped. There was a small sound of release, and then a sound like a sigh. The pillar simply dissolved, and the snake stretched out.

"I simply cannot let this kindness go so easily!" the snake said, and began to circle around them in tighter and tighter circles, drawing them closer together.

They were ready to leap up and destroy this traitorous snake, when they found themselves looking out of the same eyes. They were the snake's height.

Terrified, they looked down. They were not separate, but in the same body. This body was just as green as the snake. They looked up at the snake, confused.

"I have simply made you what you were at the beginning." the snake explained.

He admired his handiwork. He had been a pet of a Great Fairy in his youth, and learned both speech and a little magic. His only failing had been the skin color; his own instead of theirs, but no matter.

The twins felt deeply sick in their shared belly. Their very cores were trying to fit together, but fire and frost rarely can. They made a moan of pain, clutched their belly, and then it happened.

Their cores clicked, softly, and the pain disappeared.

The massive woman straightened up. Had Koume and Kotake not separated in Rova's womb, this was the woman they would have been, magnified. Her eyes were just as yellow, her eyebrows stark and red against her green skin. Her crimson hair fell over her shoulders, nearly reaching her knees. Their forehead jewels had somehow combined; the tiny speck of spessartine in Kotake's sapphire was unnoticeable at this size.

This was not the snake's magic, but their own, prodded into doing this by the snake's spell.

"Name me." said this woman.

"Twinrova." the snake breathed.

There was a suddenly cracking sound. Her hair separated into two tails. One began to flame, the other to freeze. Twinrova grinned at this.

Lightly, she stepped out of the snake's reach, and found she could float nimbly, which delighted her.

She was terribly efficient, mastering her new skill in mere moments. She turned back to the snake, and then looked up. With one swift blast of fire, she enlarged the small hole that illuminated the room. The snake recoiled from so much light.

She gestured for the snake to leave though this opening.

"Thank you, Twinrova." the snake said, bowing its head deeply.

She said nothing, but inclined her great head.

He managed to fit his head above ground, and Twinrova pushed the rest of him through. She descended to the floor, hands clasped. She raised them to feel her face, as if to see if she was indeed real-

Suddenly, and without warning, Twinrova dissolved back into the twins.

They fell in a heap to the ground, in each other's arms. They could not remember who was who, their yellow eyes wide with this forgotten fact. Hands smoothed over faces, fingers over eyebrows, until they saw their own forehead jewels.

Kotake stood, helping Koume up. All was quiet.

Koume's heart felt heavy and full. "Kotake."

"Yes?" Kotake answered in Hylian. It was a relief to speak their native tongue.

Koume bit her lower lip, the corner of her mouth upturning. "We are the Sage. We must be."

Kotake's mouth worked for a moment, finding nothing to say.

"The Sage presents whenever the last one is dead." Koume's eyes darted to Thariyah's corpse, exactly where Kotake had left it.

"Sages? Us? We'd have to live in the Temple, just like her, and we'd go out of our minds here!" Kotake barked, feeling strangely fiery.

"Not us, Koume and Kotake." Koume declared. She struck a tall pose, palms and face upturned. "Us, Twinrova."

There was a reverent moment, both thinking of the woman they had just been. She had been a lost possibility when their mother birthed them, but was now the sum of their souls.

"We will simply visit; we are witches and Sages." Koume said. She looked utterly delighted with this revelation.

But business overtook such delight. Kotake carried Thariyah's body as they made their way out of the Spirit Temple. Their first act as new Sages was to bury the last Sage, with reverence and great ceremony.

They kept waiting for a feeling of awakening, and mistook relief for it. This was because neither the twins alone or the twins as Twinrova were Sages at all.


	8. The King is Dead Reprise

**Author**: Eralk Fang  
**Fandom**: The Legend of Zelda  
**Rating**: PG-13.  
**Story Summary**: Nearly a century and a half in the lives of Koume and Kotake, Gerudo witches.  
**Chapter Summary**: The witches face their immortality.  
**Notes**: The last chapter! I'm very pleased with how it turned out. I thought the title was so clever when I first came up with it... heh. You might be wondering what on earth is going on, since nothing Gerudo is complete without Ganondorf. Well, when I originally plotted this out, there was a two hundred year gap between this chapter and what would be the next chapter, where we first encounter Ganondorf. I decided to split it into two fics. The next fic (the sequel, I guess!) will be coming soon- this summer at the latest. I'm going to miss writing young!Twinrova... I hope you all enjoyed Season of the Witch!  
**Disclaimer**: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

_Season of the Witch  
Chapter Eight: The King is Dead (Reprise)_

-

Behind the clock, in the diagon, in your endless summer night, in the city remaking itself like a wave in which people live or are said to live, it comes down to the same thing, an exaggerated sense of things getting done.  
"Ceriserie", Joshua Clover

-

The decades slipped down Altodorf's back without him noticing. A man's mirror is his mate, and Kotake aged slowly. When he had gone silver, her face had merely creased slightly in areas, faint etchings of her life.

To him, she was an eternal thing, her flaming hair spilling over her shoulder blades as she looked over them at him.

He felt vast as the deserts some nights, Kotake rubbing his scalp lovingly. Altodorf had not grown fat with age, as some Hylian men do; he was still strong, but more bulky than he had been when he was young. His wrinkles were steady lines burned into him by the unforgiving sun, and his eyes were still clear.

He was a good king, and a good man, and he knew it. He felt no remorse about slipping away in the night; it was the only way, after all.

-

Kotake awoke slowly, drifting in and out of sleep. When she finally convinced herself to wake up, the sun had already risen and was raining its terrible heat down on the desert.

She turned over and dropped a kiss on the corner of Altodorf's mouth.

He was cold.

Kotake nearly jumped of their shared bed. She placed a hand on Altodorf's neck. There was no pulse.

"Alto-" she managed. She felt like she was choking. She had never referred to her husband without his honorific, and it didn't feel like his name. "Altodorf!"

She turned and ran outside, stumbling on her way.

A trio of girls almost old enough to wear forehead jewels were sitting outside the King's chambers, and leapt up, startled, when Kotake burst out.

They stared at each other for a moment, the Witchwife and the young girls. Kotake looked strangely unfinished to them, without her forehead jewel, and dressed in her warm nightclothes.

"He's dead." Kotake breathed, pressing a hand against her collarbone to steady herself.

They blinked at her with their yellow and brown eyes, almost uncomprehending. "He's dead!" Kotake repeated. "The King is dead! Alert the fortress!"

She waved her arms at them, and they scattered like birds. Satisfied under all her newfound grief, she returned to the King's body.

Kotake knelt at the side of their bed, and stroked his cold face gently. It was almost vulgar, her smooth, vividly tan hand against his creased and aged cheek. His words were coming true, weren't they? _If there should only be one person in all the world whose heart would shatter when I die... I would have it be you. _She felt it within, the shattering. It had begun viciously.

Finally, she stopped, took a breath, and began to weep as if she meant to flood the world with her tears.

-

Koume presided over the funeral, feeling strange under her Sage regalia without her sister at her side. Kotake, as the Witchwife, was not expected to preside in her grief. After her initial outburst (they had to wrench her off Altodorf's body), Kotake had sunk into a near stupor, eyes unfocused and red from occasional tears. She barely spoke.

This stuck out like a sore thumb in the middle of the other Gerudo. Altodorf had been more beloved than his predecessor, and a great and terrible wail rose from the Spirit Temple. The true Sage, a little girl of no more than eight, was wailing as well, but for more than just Altodorf's death; she had a terrible longing for the fabled shadows and statues in the Temple, and it scared her.

Koume finished the funeral liturgy, and Altodorf was buried. Kotake's eyes followed him into the grave, and Koume guessed her heart followed as well.

The journey back was somber. Koume had never felt so relieved to return to her chambers; Kotake would return to the witches' chambers. This relief scared her. She wished to find nothing good in the death of a King, and a brother-in-law.

She had scarcely put the Sage regalia in its proper place and cleaned herself when she heard rustling in the next room.

Koume dressed herself and went out to welcome Kotake back into the chambers. Her sister was bent over an old storage chest, pulling out a few items, and her arms were already filled with things Koume recognized from the King's chambers.

She was not putting things in, though, but taking them out. A satchel lay at her feet, empty. Kotake closed the chest, and began to dress herself with a few of the items. Her feet were covered in Hylian boots, she tightened up her Poe cloak, and she threw on the furs.

"Kotake." Koume nimbly made her way over to the door, to block Kotake. Her sister just smiled brokenly at her.

Without a word, she packed up her things. She came to the door, and gave Koume a sisterly kiss on the cheek. It was so soft and so sad that Koume had to let her go.

-

Kotake landed on the snowy mountain at dusk, far from the Yeti settlement. Yetuel had passed away, and Yetaline was going blind. Their power was being tested, and the loose confederacy of Yetis seemed on the verge of breaking. Kotake did not want to deal with Yeti politics, however primitive, like this.

She felt numb inside. Her heart had finished shattering, some beloved statue shattered into a million pieces, dust on the hearth.

Night twinkled above her, clear and beautiful. She breathed in cold air with no emotion, only settling herself down on the snow, against a boulder. It was perfectly still, and perfectly somber. A perfect place to pray, and she thought she should, but she did not. She thought of Altodorf, the Goddesses, and eternity. Pondering over the third, she suddenly found shock in the fact she was over a century old. The years had not touched her, breezing over her like the wind; but the years had taken Altodorf, her Altodorf, with cruelty.

She felt as if she was going to vomit.

A noise suddenly sounded behind her. She got to her feet, and cried out, "It is me, Kotake, do not harm me."

Her voice (scratchy and monotone from sorrow) had stopped a full grown Yeti male. His beard was full, his tusks decorated with brown markings.

"Yetan." Kotake said. The Yeti nodded, a massive gesture.

"Witch thing alright?"

"No. Mate dead." she said, too lethargic to bother with proper language. "Me too young."

Yetan made a sad face, and gestured for Kotake to come near. She did, and they embraced. Warm in his strong hug, she remembered delivering him the day Altodorf was born, vividly. The memory of being a Yeti midwife was the closest thing she had to motherhood, and coupled with memories of Altodorf, it began to reshape her shattered heart, picking the dust off the hearth. Altodorf's smile, the scent of blood, wedding horns, Yetaline's tired but elated first look at her child.

The memories did not do a good enough job to make her love as she loved Altodorf again; but it was good enough.

-

Koume watched the sun rise on Death Mountain, resting against Liggs. She had arrived only moments ago, and informed Liggs of what happened. She had brought a heavy load of flawed jewels as a treat for the Gorons.

"Do you think she will be alright?" Liggs asked.

"I don't know." Koume turned her head slightly, her left ear over where Liggs' heartbeat should have been. She didn't know if Liggs' heart was beating under his stony skin, too muffled to hear, or if he even had one. This mystery of Goron biology comforted her, strangely. It separated him from Altodorf, and made him seem almost immortal. That wasn't true, as she'd find out in later years, but the idea was comforting. "I do not think she'll love again."

Liggs chuckled, and reached into the bag of flawed jewels. He popped a terribly flawed topaz into his mouth, and began crunching it with his strong jaws.

"I'm serious. She loved him too well, and her heart broke. She has gone to reforge it in the mountains."

"Lucky for you you do not love as fiercely as she does." Liggs murmured. The comment rubbed Koume the wrong way, and she left his side to sit in front of him. He swallowed the topaz uncomfortably, unable to read her determined expression.

She reached up and removed her forehead jewel. She had worn it for so long the skin underneath the ornate setting was freakishly pale, and there were little dots where the setting had dug into her skin. With her long fingers, she wrenched her ruby from its setting. She pocketed the latter.

"I love, Liggs, just as fiercely." She raised her ruby to his lips, pushing gently.

"Koume, you will need it-"

"Kotake will take a new one, and so will I."

Liggs opened his mouth. Koume placed her ruby in it, and went back to resting against Liggs' chest.

She felt light and strange, a weak breeze brushing against her newly exposed forehead. Her ruby crunched under Liggs' teeth. She no longer felt relieved.

-

Koume was surprised to feel Kotake's signal as she flew home. It was coming from the Desert Colossus. She did not immediately change course, though; she returned to the Fortress and retrieved a pair of new forehead jewels from the lapidary first.

She found Kotake sitting on the steps leading up to the Temple, Altodorf's old boots in her lap. Her sister stared into the sand as if into a distance, and was not startled when Koume landed in front of her.

"Kotake." Koume murmured.

Kotake dragged her eyes up to Koume's, and it was evident she had not slept that past night.

"You know what my wedding vows said?" Kotake asked hoarsely, as if she'd been screaming prayers for hours. Her hands moved slowly over Altodorf's boots, like hesitant spiders.

"What did they say?" Koume could not find Thariyah's words in her memory.

"To love each other, to be bound to each other until the end." Kotake closed her eyes, sighed, and then her face twisted into rage. "But I have no end! I am doomed to be this horrible, endless thing, a bystander as the world rages on!"

Kotake suddenly began to attack the boots, ripping and tearing at them. Koume knelt before Kotake and grabbed her wrists. Kotake struggled against her sister, jerking her arms backwards. Koume let her go, in order to torch the boots.

The boots smoldered in Kotake's lap, and Kotake finished them off with a quick blast of ice. Koume grabbed her sister's wrists again.

"Remember that I am endless, too."

Kotake looked at her sister as if in an entirely different light. She brushed her fingers over Koume's exposed forehead, apparently having just noticed it. "We are the same," Koume continued, "bound by blood and bound by Twinrova. Is it so horrible to be endless with me, sister?"

After an eternity, Kotake shook her head. With that, Koume reached for Kotake's shoulders and lifted her twin to her feet. The ashes of the boots, enchanted metal and all, fell from her lap to the sand.

With softness and grace, Koume removed her sister's forehead jewel, and wrenched sapphire from setting. Kotake snatched the sapphire back, almost apologetically, and pocketed it. Koume produced her own setting and the new jewels, fitting setting and jewel together like lock and key. Kotake took the new ruby, and Koume the new sapphire. They placed the forehead jewels on each other's foreheads ceremonially, fixing them into place. Their mother had done this, too many years ago, and they felt childish and anxious again.

"Let's not play mortal anymore." Kotake murmured.

Koume nodded. Together, they left the Desert Colossus, feeling like newly minted women.

-

That night, sleeping warm in the witches' chambers as the wind howled outside, they dreamed.

Kotake dreamed of Altodorf. She dreamed they were dancing slowly, going around and around. He was young again in his face, but his eyes were ancient. He was just like her.

Koume dreamed of Liggs. She dreamed they were dancing fiercely, stomping to Goron drums. He smiled, she laughed. Her cloak billowed around her lightly, and she felt as if she could take off and fly as Twinrova did.

In both of their dreams, a beast watched them. His magnificent horns were decorated, and sand stuck to his paws. The dancing reflected in his eyes, and the joyous participants had infected him. He imitated a human smile, like a dog. It was not his time, and he knew it, but it did not bother him. His time would come.


End file.
